From the papers

March 3, 2000
Juventus Official Site

The main focus today is on Juventus’ win over Celta Vigo – not in itself a guarantee of qualification to the next round and, indeed, all the sports dailies agree that the Bianconeri's win was a struggle. Darko Kovacevic was the man to open the scoring and seal the win as is his want, notching up his tenth UEFA Cup goal and 11th in Europe.

The Gazzetta dello Sport's main headline rightly proclaims Kovacevic as “the match-winner" and Edwin Van Der Sar as “the saviour", following a fine performance in goal. Edgar Davids also comes in for praise for his “consistency”, while poor old Jonathan Bachini and Sunday Oliseh are both in the firing line for their below-par performances. Carlo Ancelotti, the Juve coach, declares himself “quite satisfied” with the result, while the Celta coach firmly dismisses his side's chances of going through. Kovacevic, meanwhile, is already looking forward to the return leg. "I am expecting a very tough match in Vigo."

Tuttosport dedicates its front page to Kovacevic. The man himself tells the Turin-based daily, "I am a bit short of match fitness but this is not surprising since I am not a regular starter. Alessandro Del Piero is in great shape; if he keeps improving, the Scudetto is in the bag."
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