Leonardo Bonucci said the “slap” of a home defeat to Inter spurred Juventus on to beat Nordsjaelland 4-0.
Leonardo Bonucci said the “slap” of a home defeat to Inter spurred Juventus on to beat Nordsjaelland 4-0.
The Bianconeri thought they had leapfrogged Chelsea into second place in Group E, but the last-gasp 3-2 win over Shakhtar Donetsk at Stamford Bridge leaves them one point behind the leading pair.
“We got a surprise when we stepped into the locker room. We have to win every game, whether it’s Chelsea or Shakhtar, so will approach each match like that regardless of calculations or tables,” said the defender.
“Tonight we saw last year’s Juve with that same hunger for the victory, to work and to sacrifice ourselves.
“It was lacking against Inter, but we showed that if we step up the tempo and the intensity then we can fight it out with anyone.
“Our anger at the defeat to Inter had to be transformed into positive energy and determination to prove ourselves.
“We showed tonight that if we have the right grit and mentality, then we can beat anyone.
“When you get a slap on home turf, that brings out the pride and determination of every champion. There are many of them here.”
Juve were held to a 1-1 draw away to Nordsjaelland, but seemed like a completely different team this evening.
“In Denmark we were perhaps a little complacent, as we were coming off some great results and Nordsjaelland had conceded many goals in the group phase. We didn’t go there with the right approach.
“Tonight we were coming off a defeat and wanted to prove ourselves, which is why we got to see a great Juventus performance.”