NEWS
Dream Debut! Austrian Talent Fires Genoa to Friendly Win
David Puczka scores the winning goal in his first appearance for Genoa. Fellow Austrian Elias Havel also celebrates his debut.
David Puczka made an immediate strong impression on his debut for CFC Genoa.
The 21-year-old Austrian U21 national team player scored the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory on Sunday in the first pre-season friendly against Italian third-division side Trento. Puczka came on as a substitute in the second half and became the match-winner with a directly converted free-kick in the 73rd minute.
Dream Start After Million-Euro Transfer
Just a few weeks ago, the left-back had moved to the Serie A club from Juventus Next Gen for a transfer fee of six million euros. Now, in his first appearance in a Genoa shirt, he immediately scored his first goal.
Coach Daniele De Rossi's team is currently in a training camp in Moena in Trentino's Val di Fassa, where they played their first pre-season match.
Havel Starts, Puczka Shines
Genoa, however, did not get off to a good start. Trento took a 1-0 lead through Molina in the 30th minute and carried that advantage into half-time.
While Puczka only came onto the field in the second half, his Austrian teammate Elias Havel was directly in the starting eleven for his debut. The striker had moved to Genoa from TSV Hartberg this summer.
After the break, Colombo initially equalized from the penalty spot in the 66th minute, before Puczka sealed the 2-1 final score with a direct free-kick seven minutes later.
Competitive Season Start Approaches
For Puczka and Havel, it was a successful first appearance in the shirt of the traditional club. The two Austrians now have just under a month until the start of competitive matches to impress during the training camp and further friendly games to earn a regular spot.
