“I know so much is expected from me” – Vlahovic aware of his situation, explains basketball celebration | OneFootball

Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic made his much-anticipated return to the starting lineup against Cagliari, marking his outing with a winning goal.

The 25-year-old was reduced to benchwarmer over the past few weeks with Randal Kolo Muani immediately asserting a starting berth. Nevertheless, Thiago Motta felt it was the appropriate time to bring back the Serbian, and it proved to be the right call.

Although it wasn’t the most dynamic display, his early goal was worth three important points, as it was the solitary strike of the contest held at the Sardegna Arena.

After the match, Vlahovic insisted that the most important thing was to earn the win rather than him scoring a goal.

“The three points are important, I scored a goal, but it’s important to have won,” said the former Fiorentina in his post-match interview (via the official Juventus website).

“I’m living with great calmness, I’m a professional, I make myself available to the team: I know that so much is expected of me. I stay composed. If we want to grow as a team and reach certain goals, we can’t stay under pressure for the whole second half.

“Everyone suffers here against a team that plays well at home, but we have to take the extra step. Manage the game better or put it to bed earlier. I am very happy and I am thinking about the next match.”

Vlahovic also revealed that his basketball celebration was a dedication to members of the medical staff.

“I’ve done this celebration before. Basketball was a dedication to the physiotherapists, we have one thing in common, they asked me to celebrate in this fashion.”

Despite his challenging campaign, the Serbia international remains the club’s leading goalscorer with 14 goals across all competitions.