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Weston McKennie soon identified himself in the initial line-up for Juventus.
The 22-year-old American, who joined the Italian titans with Cristiano Ronaldo on loan last month after four years with German club Schalke, the club’s first Serie A match on Sunday, helped his new team beat Sampdoria 3-0. .
Ronaldo capped the scoreboard with a purpose in the 88th minute:
It’s only a matter of time! Cristiano Ronaldo scores his first purpose of the new season ⚽️ pic. twitter. com/R7eTku57mp
– ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 20, 2020
For McKennie, it was almost a better start. While the flexible Texan spent time on the right-back and even in the central defence last season in the Bundesliga, he was deployed in his grass-based central position, directly Portuguese superstar Ronaldo in the 5-4-1 lineup of new coach Andrea Pirlo.
He made his damn defensive presence felt from the beginning; A glide shot triggered a rapid counterattack that ended with a shot from Ronaldo just above Emil Audero’s net. Later, in the first half, McKennie took an unmarked shot behind a hard corner in the most sensitive area.
Shortly after, Juve opened the scoring with a first-round cleanup from 20-year-old Swedish forward Dejan Kulusevski, who also made his first official appearance with the club after arriving from Parma this summer:
They’re 20 years old Dejan Kulusevski on his Juventus debut!Pic. twitter. com/8yLHr5WTun
– ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 20, 2020
McKennie almost scored too. At the end of the break, he forced a sublime stop from Audero before Leonardo Bonucci changed the rebound to double juve’s lead, and a few minutes later another effort blocked spectacularly through Audero, who only controlled to clear the ball before crossing the goal. line after the initial shot of the US national team. But it’s not the first time
But then the brave McKennie was recruited not for his attacking ability, but to take on the role of area-to-area midfielder who became vacant through veteran Blaise Matuidi, who left juve this summer to sign up for the MLS expansion aspect in Miami. On his first impression in Turin, McKennie turns out to be a worthy substitute for the French World Cup winner.
Juventus are aiming for their tenth consecutive Italian name this season, their greatest ambition being to win the Champions League for the first time since 1996.
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