Zemura shines in Juve upset

WArrIOrS utility player Jordan Zemura was impressive in Udinese’s stunning 1-0 victory over Serie A title contenders Juventus in turin on Monday night.

It was the 23-year-old’s first start in 2024 following weeks on the sidelines due to an injury.

But the Zimbabwean star still sparkled on the left side of coach Gabriele Ciofi’s five-men midfield in his intact 3-5-2 formation that suffocated second-placed Old Lady’s usual fluidity.

Central defender Lautaro Giannetti was the hero of the game after scoring the only goal of the match that lifted the Udine side from the relegation zone.

Yet they were never given a chance against the turin team who were chasing a victory that would have seen them cut the gap between them and leaders Inter Milan to just four.

Zemura was replaced by festy ebolese in the 66th minute but he did enough to earn a 70 percent rating from eurosport.

So good was Zemura that only goal-scorer Giannetti, who was also voted the man-ofthe-match and Perez got a better rating at 80 percent.

“This was a huge performance from the team,” Zemura said.

“Juventus is a world giant and coming here and giving it all our efforts is something commendable. We were swimming in the relegation zone before this big result and we can breathe easily now.

“I am extremely happy with how the team performed. I am happy with how we carried ourselves in the field. That was superb from this group.

“We are not off the hook yet and we need to perform. This result has boosted us a lot and we will be looking to post more positive results as we go.

“Individually, I am happy with how everything panned out. There is still room for improvement and we will keep on working hard.” Zemura said the zeal and drive of the team will help them avoid the chop at the end of the marathon.

“We are always working hard and the attitude of the team is very encouraging. We have really good players who can help us survive relegation at the end of the race.

“I am very confident that we will keep on climbing up the ladder and we even have a chance to finish strongly. We just have to keep on putting in the work.” The former AFC Bournemouth player has played 17 games for Udinese so far this season*.