Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio pulled off a stunning display against Manchester City, and his heroics include denying Erling Haaland from close range.
The Bianconeri escaped with a well-deserved 2-0 victory over the Premier League champions which saw them climb to 14th place. Dusan Vlahovic opened the scoring with a header that went just over the line as confirmed by the match official’s device. Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah then combined to score the second goal just minutes following their introductions.
However, this result would have been implausible if it wasn’t for Di Gregorio’s exploits which immediately went viral.
While Federico Gatti and Pierre Kalulu had an extraordinary night, they did allow Haaland to evade them on one occasion in the first half. Kevin De Bruyne’s delicate through ball put the Norwegian giant one-on-one with Di Gregorio. But despite finding himself in front of arguably the most terrifying striker in the world, the Juventus goalkeeper didn’t flinch.
De gregorio when unveiled by Juventus in the summer of 2024
The former Monza man produced a reaction save to deny the chip, but he offered little explanation on how he managed to pull it off.
“I don’t know where it (the save) came from on Haaland but tonight we should celebrate the whole group for their attitude, desire and determination that led to a great victory,” said Di Gregorio in his post-match interview with Prime Football via IlBianconero.
“The attitude seen and the desire to fight seen this evening must be a starting point.”
The Italy international also heaped praise on his Juventus backups Mattia Perin and Carlo Pinsoglio.
“We train well, with Mattia and Pinso who are two great goalkeepers. We always push each other to our limits. We always help the team both on and off the pitch.”
Di Gregorio joined Juventus last summer on €20-million deal from Monza after making a name for himself in Serie A over the past two campaigns.