April 13, (THEWILL) – Juventus secured a crucial 1-0 win against Sporting CP in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final on Thursday.
The Bianconeri had to wait until the 73rd minute to break the deadlock, with Federico Gatti scoring his first goal for the club. It was a hard-fought encounter, with neither side managing to create clear-cut opportunities until that point.
The match was not without its drama, with Wojciech Szczesny forced to leave the field due to chest pains. However, Juventus confirmed that the goalkeeper was “doing well” soon after. Gatti’s goal gave the Italian side a narrow first-leg lead, and Mattia Perrin, who came on for Szczesny, had to make a vital double-save to preserve the advantage.
With everything still to play for in the second leg, the tie remains finely poised. Both teams will be in action again on Sunday. Juventus will face Sassuolo in Serie A, while Sporting will take on Arouca in the Liga Portugal.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
