Kolo Muani breaks his duck with Juventus six months after his last goal

Randal Kolo Muani finally found the back of the net in a Juventus shirt on Thursday evening in Turin, during a convincing victory over Nijmegen (5-0) in the Europa League. The French striker, on loan from PSG, had not scored since March 18.

Coming on in the 62nd minute when the Bianconeri already led 3-0, Kolo Muani first provided an assist for Mehmet Zeki Çelik (75th), with a clever burst down the left flank, before capping off the evening by rounding opposing goalkeeper Nikolas Polster, who had ventured far from his line (82nd). The three opening goals for Turin had been scored by Nico Gonzalez (9th), Kerim Alajbegovic (24th) and Nick Woltemade from the penalty spot (35th).

His last goal dated back to March 18, with Tottenham against Atlético Madrid (3-2) in the Champions League round-of-16 second leg — an evening that ended with the Spurs’ elimination (5-7 on aggregate). During his loan spell in the Premier League, the French international (32 caps, 9 goals) had scored just one goal in the league.

Since arriving at Juventus, the start of the season for the former Nantes player has been particularly difficult. Italian manager Luciano Spalletti had notably singled him out publicly, saying he “had not played in two years” and demanding goals. Kolo Muani notably delivered a poor performance in the draw against AC Milan (1-1), before providing an assist for Edon Zhegrova in the defeat at Sassuolo last weekend.

This double from the 26-year-old striker raises questions about his place in the starting eleven for the clash against Atalanta on Sunday.