Kean caps stellar season for treble-chasers Juventus
MILAN: Teenage starlet Moise Kean came off the bench to score a last-gasp winner with his maiden Serie A goal as Juventus closed their record-setting season with a 2-1 win at Bologna on Saturday.
Fresh from securing a record third successive league and Cup double, Juventus looked to be heading for a disappointing draw after Paulo Dybala levelled Saphir Taider’s superb 52nd minute strike on 70 minutes.
But Kean, who replaced Argentina playmaker Dybala with 11 minutes to play, had the final say for the Turin giants with a great diving header from Miralem Pjanic’s free kick in the 94th minute.
It was the first goal scored in Serie A by a player born in 2000 or after, and has underlined 17-yearold Kean’s bright future after being given his debut by Massimiliano Allegri earlier this season.
Juventus, who secured a record sixth consecutive scudetto with a 3-0 win over Crotone last week, will face Real Madrid in the Champions League final on June 3.
Allegri said they will soak up their domestic success before beginning to focus on Real from Monday.
“The season right now is great, we have our final game in Cardiff but we’ll only focus on that from Monday,” said Allegri, who has steered Juve to two Champions League finals in three years.
On Kean, he added: “Naturally, I’m very happy with Kean who, along with (goalkeeper, Emil) Audero can look forward to some more playing time next season.
“The team did well, even though it took until their goal for us to really wake up.”
Roma hosted Genoa late yesterday in what will be Francesco Totti’s final game with the club after a 25-year career spent entirely with the Giallorossi.
But with second spot up for grabs, and third-placed Napoli only a point further behind before they travel to Sampdoria, Roma coach Luciano Spalletti said Totti’s needs come second.
“What kind of party will it be if we don’t get the three points? We have to think about winning first and foremost,” he said.
A second-place finish will guarantee Roma a place in the group stages of next season’s Champions League, and seal a ninth runners-up spot since winning the Serie A title for the last time, in 2001.
But Spalletti, who has been linked to the vacant position at Inter Milan following the recent sacking of Stefano Pioli, said he won’t rain on Totti’s parade.
“He will play a good portion of the game, the most important part,” he added.
Before Sunday’s outing, Totti has racked up 784 appearances for Roma, 618 of which have been in Serie A. AFP