Openda: ‘Serie A is not easy, I know I had some bad games’

Lois Openda is very happy to have scored his first Serie A goal for Juventus in the 2-1 win over Roma. ‘It’s not an easy league, I know I had some bad games, but I will show more.’

The striker was given a rare start this evening at the Allianz Juventus Stadium and he got the decisive goal after the restart, when Francisco Conceicao had opened the scoring.

It was his first in the league, having already found the net in the Champions League success over Bodo/Glimt.

“Of course, it was an important goal, I’m happy to score my first goal in Serie A, but the most important thing was the win,” Openda told Sky Sport Italia.

“The feeling for the team is good after winning and of course I am happy to have scored.”

The Belgium international arrived on transfer deadline day from RB Leipzig, on loan for €3.3m with an obligation to buy for a further €42.3m if certain conditions are met, but he struggled to make an impact on the Bianconeri squad.

“It’s not an easy league, my adaptation was not easy, it was not the best, but I always felt the support from everybody at the club and my family,” he explained.

“It just takes time, and in the last couple of weeks I’ve felt much better. It was tough at the start, new team, new league, new city, but I am happy now.

“After this game, I showed that I really want to help the team. I know that I had some bad games, some better, but I will show more in the next games for sure.”

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Juventus 2-1 Roma

Now Openda has two goals in 18 competitive appearances for Juventus, so what is his target for the debut season in Italy?

“For me, the focus is to feel good here, to adapt well. It’s much, much better now, so I want to do well in every minute I get to play.

“As for the team, our objective is to win every game from now on. We did well in the last couple of games, we have something different now with the new coach, everything is in our hands. We’re going to give everything, 100 per cent, game by game.”

Juventus are now within a point of Roma in fourth place, having stuttered in the opening couple of months under Igor Tudor.