Kephren Thuram channels inner Pogba after own goal against Okoye paves way for Juventus victory

Juventus midfielder, Kephren Thuram, has dedicated his supposedly goal-celebration to Paul Pogba following his goal against Udinese, Soccernet.ng reports. 

The Frenchman opened the scoring for the Old Lady by dribbling his way into the heart of Udinese defence before firing a shot to the right corner of the goal, which hits the woodwork before rebounding to hit the back of Okoye, thus leading to a goal which was credited as an own goal to Okoye.

The Italian-born player initially believed he had scored, celebrated the moment with a gesture inspired by his idol, Pogba.

“Oh, was it an own goal? It doesn’t matter; the important thing is that we won,” Thuram said afterward, adding, “I celebrated like Pogba, my favourite player. I try to play like him, and I did it for him today. I’m happy to be here with great players, I’m learning every day.” he said after the game.

Juventus dominated Udinese from the outset, with Okoye’s own goal and a 37th-minute strike by Nicolò Savona sealing the visitors’ victory.

Udinese coach Kosta Runjaic admitted his team struggled, particularly in the first half, where he felt they were outclassed.

“We lost the game in the first half; we didn’t exist,” Runjaic remarked post-match. “We have to wake up, start strong, and finish strong, especially against strong teams like Juventus, Inter, or Atalanta.”

Despite the loss, Udinese holds a respectable mid-table position with 16 points from 11 matches. However, the team faces a tough schedule ahead, with their next challenge being an away game against Gian Piero Gasperini’s formidable Atalanta.