FOOTBALL
Vlahovic pleased to cheer fans up against Cagliari after boos at the weekend
Dusan Vlahovic was pleased to hear a happy set of supporters after Juventus' 4-0 victory over Cagliari in the Coppa Italia on Tuesday, having been on the wrong end of boos at the weekend.
Vlahovic scored the opener on Tuesday, following a late equaliser in Saturday's 2-2 draw with bottom side Venezia, which left fans unhappy following their fourth straight draw in the league.
Despite the equaliser, the Serbian forward had been the target for some of the insults, sarcastically raising his thumb to the crowd, though things had turned around by Tuesday.
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"The applause of the fans makes me very happy, this is one of the biggest clubs in Europe with a huge fan base," Vlahovic told broadcaster Mediaset.
"I'm sorry for what happened on Saturday. Now we have to continue like this, all united. Every victory gives us confidence but we think game by game."
Head coach Thiago Motta was also pleased with his side's performance, but also defended the fans' right to criticise the team when things weren't going well.
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"We put in a good performance, the crowd is always with us," Motta said.
"Sometimes, they have the freedom to express their emotions, we need them. Sometimes we are able to have a positive result and sometimes we are not, even if we didn't lose.
"We have the level to perform, especially when players like Nico Gonzalez return."
Gonzalez made a brief substitute appearance against Venezia, having been out of action with a muscle injury for over two months. The Argentine winger also came off the bench in the Cagliari game to net the final goal.
"The first thing I wanted was to feel good and help the team," Gonzalez said.
"We have to stay united and happy, I'm happy with the goal and the victory."
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