Pepe: “The hard work pays off”

Simone Pepe hailed a well-earned three points after the Bianconeri overcame Lazio this evening at Juventus Stadium. The winger continued his strong goalscoring form against the Biancocelesti, netting his third goal in as many games courtesy of a spectacular overhead kick. “It was wonderful,” confirmed Pepe at the end of the game. “I missed a good opportunity shortly before, partly due to Marchetti’s good work and partly due to my error. I soon made amends though, thankfully.” Despite taking the lead, Juventus required a late Del Piero free-kick to overcome their determined opponents: “Fortunately he invented that strike! We created at least ten first-half goalscoring opportunities without managing to put the game to bed. We need to be more clinical in front of goal.” The deserved success rewarded the Bianconeri’s enterprising play, honed through hours of hard graft on the training ground: “It’s no surprise we’re in form with all the work we do during the week. The vast majority of us have played for many years and when we speak about it, the opinion is unanimous: we’ve never worked so hard.”