Paulo Sousa wrote his name into European football folklore in the mid-1990s by winning the Champions League in back-to-back seasons with different clubs. On Wednesday 17th April the Portuguese scored a rare goal to help the Bianconeri into the final.
Juventus met French side Nantes – boasting the likes of Claude Makelele - in the last four of the European Cup and took control of the tie with a 2-0 win in the first leg in Turin. Things got off to the perfect start in the return at La Beaujoire in the west of France when Gianluca Vialli put Juve ahead on 17 minutes, but Nantes levelled shortly before half time.
Clinching goal
Sousa, 25, came on at half time as the visitors looked to get the all-important second goal, and the former Benfica man provided just five minutes into the second period. Vialli’s brilliant control and through-ball sent Sousa one-on-one with Dominique Casagrande, allowing him to pick out the bottom corner.
Better video from French TV. Humble celebration for someone who barely ever scored goals. One of only two goals Sousa scored for the club pic.twitter.com/ARZotxPpot
— S Gillen ?? Portuguese Abroad (@SeanGillen9) April 17, 2020
The goal proved important as Nantes did score a further two goals to win the match 3-2 on the night, but Sousa’s strike had put the tie beyond the Ligue 1 side and gave Juve a 4-3 aggregate win. The Italians would beat Ajax on penalties in the final to win their second Champions League crown.
Souse made 72 appearances across his two campaigns with Juve, but joined Dortmund later in the summer of 1996 and helped the Germans to glory the following season with a 3-1 victory over his old club in the final in Munich.
By Sean Gillen
