Moise Kean steps up in Ronaldo's absence to save Juventus

Apr 01, 2019 06:00 am

Rising teenage star Moise Kean stepped up in place of the injured Cristiano Ronaldo to rescue a 1-0 win for Juventus against Empoli yesterday morning (Singapore time), as the champions maintained a 15-point lead at the top of Serie A.

Kean, who burst into the limelight during Italy's opening Euro 2020 qualifiers, came on as a substitute in Turin and three minutes later scored his third league goal of the season after his double against Udinese earlier this month.

"I am neither (Lionel) Messi nor Cristiano but, one day, I hope to become like them," said the 19-year-old Kean.

"Scoring two goals for Italy, having all that attention, it uses up a lot of energy both physically and mentally... He's got the qualities to be a great player," said Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri. - AFP