The Dane breaks his long drought and celebrates his decisive brace against Juve: “But I don’t just score goals, I also love to press”
Sixty-three days of fasting and not feeling them, while regardless of the cold Rasmus Hojlund lets his soul be caressed by that sense of happiness that pervades him: “And how do you want me to be?”. Fifty million holy and blessed, because on this magical night, in which Naples sits sweetly looking at the world from above, the memory goes to last scorching summer, psychologically devastated by the Lukaku accident and rearranged, immediately, by calling in Manchester, the friends of last year, to whom – begging them and showering them with pounds – after having taken McTominay you have to ask Hojlund. There are evenings in which history sits inside a penalty area and asks to be welcomed with open arms: and after two months of total abstinence, split by that Lukakization to launch Neres against Atalanta, Hojlund came out of the hut and exhibited the best of his nature, the full and rounded figure of a striker who you just have to ask to be himself. “I’m satisfied – he says at the end of the match – because a brace arrived and for a centre-forward the most important thing is the goal. But I’m happy for the victory, for everyone’s spirit of sacrifice”.
The bench
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Minute seven, there is a ball wandering in those sixteen meters, it is the gift that David Neres made after having gutted Koopmeiners on the run: the center forwards of an eternal time know how to steal space, play in advance, disguise themselves as modern vultures and Hojlund asked for nothing more than to step into the role. In the 78th minute, the scene is similar and yet different, because in that area of the pitch which is his, the prince of goals reappeared in all his features, thanked McKennie for the gift and got rid of any forced diet. “I am grateful to the bench and for this reason, after scoring, I indicated to them: they suggested me to attack centrally, to exploit the space”. Hojlund 2, Juventus 1, to rewrite the rankings, to get out of the misunderstandings of a somewhat bastard six weeks. “I also do other things, for example pressing, something that I absolutely don’t mind. I keep the team up. We’re enjoying this period, first place in the standings. And we’re waiting for our teammates to return.” While waiting, Hojlund takes care of it.