Ex-Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci couldn’t hide his admiration for Alexander Djiku after his impressive performance for Fenerbahce in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers.
Bonucci knows the Ghanaian very well, having played alongside Djiku at Fenerbahce last season before announcing his retirement from football.
Djiku was in action as Jose Mourinho’s side defeated Lugano to advance to the final round of the Champions League qualifiers on Tuesday.
The Ghana international played the full 90 minutes as Fenerbahce came from a goal down to win 2-1 in front of their home fans.
The result saw the Turkish giants take one step towards qualifying for the group stages of the Champions League, having also beaten their opponents 3-4 in the first leg.
Bonucci bigs up Djiku
Djiku once again partnered Caglar Soyuncu at the heart of defence and played the full throttle to help his side record victory.
The 29-year-old was one of Fenerbahce’s impressive performers on the night and made five important clearances within the 90 minutes, as per Sofascore.
He also recorded three interceptions, won six out of his nine ground duels and was successful in 10 of his 12 aerial duels.
While the defender lost possession 11 times, he was heavily involved in his side’s progression from the back, having had 85 touches.
In the aftermath of Fenerbahce’s qualification to the next round, Djiku took to Instagram to celebrate the victory, accompanied by the caption: “Fighting spirit.”
The defender’s comments section was flooded with praises from fans, with Bonucci also adding his voice via emojis.
