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Italy Veteran Says ”We Deserve To Win”
- Updated: March 20, 2014
Juventus sealed a 2-1 aggregate win over bitter Italian rival Fiorentina after Andrea Pirlo’s superb strike gave the Bianconeri a 1-0 win at the Artemio Franchi on Thursday.
The Italy veteran curled home a free kick to secure the victory for Antonio Conte’s side after Gonzalo Rodriguez was sent off, meaning the Bianconeri remain on course to reach the final on home turf in Turin.
Juve beat Vincenzo Montella’s men 1-0 in Serie A, but it was the hosts who held a potentially crucial away goal going into the game after a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Turin.
Fiorentina had dictated play for much of Thursday’s encounter, but the last-16 tie turned midway through the second half when the Florence club saw skipper Gonzalo Rodriguez dismissed after conceding the crucial free kick on the edge of the area.
Pirlo capitalized on the opportunity, finding the top corner from the set piece to seal progress to the quarterfinals for Antonio Conte’s men 2-1 on aggregate.
Carlos Tevez returned to the Juve starting XI after missing the first leg and the win over Genoa on Sunday, while Mario Gomez was preferred to Alessandro Matri at the head of the Fiorentina attack.
Meanwhile, Pirlo has said that his side fully deserved to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Europa League after the victory over Fiorentina.
The 34-year-old feels the Bianconeri warranted their place in the next round.
“It was important to move forward [in the Europa League],” the veteran midfielder said immediately after the match. “We wanted to qualify and I think it was a well deserved win from what we saw here tonight.
“A game that lasts 180 minutes [is a long time], but we knew we could do it. We want to continue progressing in Europe as well as Serie A.”
Juventus, which currently leads the Italian top flight with a comfortable 14-point advantage over second-placed Roma, will find out its quarterfinal opponent after the draw on Friday.
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