Morata is playing free of pressure – Pirlo hails striker after latest Champions League goal

Andrea Pirlo says Alvaro Morata is playing “free of pressure” after another impressive display from the on-loan striker in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Morata, who returned to Juve on a temporary basis from Atletico Madrid in September, took his tally in this season’s competition to six goals with the third in the Bianconeri’s 3-0 win over Dynamo Kiev. 

Juve – who had already secured their last-16 spot after three wins from their opening four games – had earlier gone ahead thanks to Federico Chiesa’s first Juve strike and Cristiano Ronaldo’s 750th career goal.

Morata is level with Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford and Erling Haaland as the Champions League top scorer this season, while his seven goal involvements is just one fewer than Borussia Monchengladbach’s Alassane Plea, who leads the way in that department. 

Morata’s tally also means he has scored the most goals for Juventus in the group stage since David Trezeguet also scored six in the 2001-02 campaign. 

Pirlo was thrilled with the Spain international’s contribution and believes his experiences elsewhere in recent years have made him a more rounded player than the one that left the club in 2016. 

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