In the 103rd minute of Juventus’ Coppa Italia Round of 16 tie against Genoa, the ‘Old Lady’ had a debutant to thank for restoring their lead in a truly amazing action-packed game.
Hamza Rafia, who entered the pitch to make his professional debut in the 77th minute, turned and drilled the ball into the back of the net after a goalmouth scramble.
The chance was sparked after some mazy dribbling from Cristiano Ronaldo in and around the box, with the ace’s stepovers and trickery fooling the Genoa players before the ball was slipped to Alvaro Morata.
Morata then floated a cross into the middle of the area, Rafia couldn’t connect first time due to the pressure he was under but he showed his grit as he turned and bundled the ball into the net.
The 21-year-old makes his professional debut on the third occasions that he’s found himself part of the first-team matchday squad, what an amazing moment for the attacking midfielder.
What a time to score your debut goal! ?
Juventus’ Hamza Rafia strikes in extra-time in the #CoppaItalia to put his side 3-2 up against Genoa! ?? pic.twitter.com/Zhe9GmXq2n
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 13, 2021
Pictures from BT Sport.
This is an absolutely amazing moment for Hamza, his family and all French-Tunisians, with the ace’s sparkling debut for the Italian powerhouses coming 18 months after he left Lyon.