Dusan Vlahovic had Juventus fans licking their lips ahead of the Champions League knockout stages, and he didn't disappoint, scoring less than a minute into his debut in the competition.
Juventus travelled to last year's Europa League champions Villarreal in the last 16 first leg, with plenty of big names out injured.
Vlahovic didn't take long to make his mark, giving Juve a crucial lead just 34 seconds into the game.
Villarreal v Juventus: Dusan Vlahovic makes instant impact with early goal
Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic joined Juventus last month to much fanfare. The former Fiorentina man had a record of almost a goal every other league game during his time in Florence, despite still only being 22 years old.
He was chucked in at the deep end for his first ever Champions League appearance on Tuesday night, starting up front for the Old Lady away to Villarreal in the last-16 first leg.
Within just one minute, he had made his mark.
Dusan Vlahovic scores just 30 seconds into his #UCL debut 🤯
A special talent 🇷🇸✨ pic.twitter.com/I3C7C5pnWD— Watch the UCL on LiveScore 🇮🇪 (@LiveScoreIE) February 22, 2022
It was a seriously tidy finish, and gave Juventus an early lead in what is sure to be a tricky tie.
The arrival of a potent forward like Vlahovic couldn't have come at a better time for Juventus. Locked in a tight battle for the top four, three of their leading men up front - Paulo Dybala, Federico Chiesa, and Federico Bernardeschi - are all facing lengthy periods on the sideline.
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The coming weeks will bring the second-leg against Villarreal for Juventus, as well as the Coppa Italia semi-finals. Ironically, those semi-finals will be played against Fiorentina - the club Vlahovic joined Juventus from.
He will have to put his old allegiances aside in the coming weeks but, if Dusan Vlahovic's impact is felt long-term in Turin as much as it was on Tuesday night, Juventus may have a serious weapon up their sleeves for the closing months of the season.
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