Vlahovic assures Juventus competition ‘doesn’t weigh on me’ | OneFootball

Dusan Vlahovic reveals his special celebration as Juventus beat Cagliari and assures no longer being an automatic first choice ‘doesn’t weigh on me,’ while Federico Gatti wants improvements.

It was a strong start in Sardinia, as Vlahovic marked his first Serie A start of 2025 by pouncing on the Yerry Mina error to score from a tricky angle.

Although there were quite a few first half chances, they didn’t kill off the game and Cagliari came back fighting after the restart, but Juve held on for all three points.

“The important thing is that we got the three points. I scored today, I am glad, but the win is what matters,” Vlahovic told DAZN.

“I did the basketball celebration for the physios, we have something in common and they asked me to celebrate like that if I scored today.”

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Cagliari 0-1 Juventus

This was a marker set down by the Serbia international, because he has recently been pushed onto the bench by the arrival of Randal Kolo Muani from Paris Saint-Germain.

“I am very calm, because I am a professional and am always at the disposal of the squad. It doesn’t weigh on me and I know that when I come on, I must try to give my all, as there is a lot expected of me. This is my job and I have no problems,” assured Vlahovic.

“If we want to achieve certain targets, then we cannot suffer like this in the second half. We realise Cagliari play well at home and cause a lot of problems for many teams, but we had to convert more of our chances in the first half and get it locked down earlier. We kept a clean sheet, but Cagliari were dangerous after the break.”

Vlahovic and Gatti want Juventus improvements

CAGLIARI, ITALY – FEBRUARY 23: Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus scores the first goal of his team during the Serie A match between Cagliari and Juventus at Sardegna Arena on February 23, 2025 in Cagliari, Italy. (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)

This result means Juventus are now two points clear of Lazio in fourth place and within eight of new leaders Inter.

It was a badly needed result following the painful Champions League play-off elimination at the hands of PSV Eindhoven in extra time on Wednesday evening.

“It was so important that we get back on track, but we must learn to control moments of fatigue better when we are in the lead,” defender Gatti told DAZN.

“The table is getting shorter, the objective is to do our best in every game. Champions League qualification is very important and we’ll see what happens.

“We cannot hide it was a terrible, nasty blow, we had wanted to go through, but now we’ve got to get back on our feet and keep pushing.”