16 April 2018
The scorer of the third goal in Madrid, it's been a wild week for Blaise Matuidi, but he and the rest of his Juventus teammates were given a hero's welcome at Sunday's match against Sampdoria in Turin.
"The applause of the entire Allianz Stadium was a great moment that made us very happy," Matuidi said to Juventus TV. "We have shown against Real Madrid that we are close to doing something big even in the Champions League. We have to be proud of what we have done."
Juventus gained two points on Napoli in the race for the Scudetto on Sunday, defeating Sampdoria 3-0 while the Partenopei could only manage a 0-0 draw against Milan.
"We never give up and the championship is very tight. The scudetto would be something magnificent and extraordinary," said Matuidi. "Our coach reminded us against Sampdoria how important it was to win and being very tight defensively. Now, we are six points ahead of Napoli reaching a very important moment. It will be fundamental to beat Crotone."
Matuidi is enjoying his first year in Turin and another first-season man, Benedikt Howedes, scored his first Bianconeri goal on Sunday, a moment celebrated by the entire squad.
"We are all very happy for him. He has worked well and hard, and was rewarded for all his efforts."
