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On Wednesday, a team made its debut in the Champions League, impressively beating Athens' "Panathinaikos" 3-0 at home. All three goals for the Italian team were scored by the team's captain, who claims to be striving to improve and play even more successfully.
25-year-old Iaquinta scored 13 goals in the last Italian championship season and helped his team qualify for the Champions League for the first time in history. This year, the player was also called up to the national team and has already played several matches.
This season, the striker, who made his Champions League debut, scored one goal against "Sporting" in the qualifying rounds, and on the first day of the main tournament, he scored three times and became the most productive player in the prestigious league of the Old Continent.
It is no wonder that the Italian press lavished praise on the player. "Super Iaquinta" - that was the headline presented by the newspaper "Gazzetta dello Sport" the day after the match, stating that "he cut through the Greek defense like an axe cuts through a tree." Meanwhile, "Corriere dello Sport" praised "Iaquinta's show": "Udinese could not have dreamed of a better debut in the Champions League. Inter and Milan did not play very successfully in their first matches, but Udinese looked simply amazing, and Iaquinta's three goals were a true masterpiece."
"This is the best day of my career. I played in the Champions League, for the first time wore the captain's armband, and scored a hat-trick - it can't get any better. I will ask for the match ball so I can give it to my son," Iaquinta said after the match. "Before, when I had the opportunity to play, I used to make simple mistakes because sometimes I would overdo it, but since becoming the team's coach Luciano Spalletti (former Udinese coach - ed. note), I have learned to calm down. I still need to improve a lot, and coach Serse Cosmi is teaching me new things."
V.Iaquinta is now considered one of the most dangerous Serie A forwards. The player hopes to participate in the 2006 World Cup in Germany with the Italian national team, but at the same time he says that his main focus is on the club: "I want to repay coach Marcelo Lippi for his trust, and of course I hope to be in the team playing in the World Cup, but right now my only concern is Udinese."
In Wednesday's Champions League match, another Italian player shone. The 26-year-old player appeared in his second match for his new club in Lisbon and, in the last minute of the match against "Lille," scored a great header to snatch a victory for the hosts and immediately became a favorite of the fans. The player was praised by the media as well - according to the newspaper "A Bola," "goals are in his blood," and as "A Jogo" writes, "even the smallest people can reach the sky."
"I am very happy because this goal is very important for me and my team. We really wanted to win after the disappointment in the derby against Sporting, trying to play well and win. I am very excited about the fans' support, as it was my first home match. We should continue to play the way we did against Lille," said Miccoli, who belongs to the Turin club "Juventus" and is playing in Portugal on loan."
