Does Vasilije Adžić believe in destiny? Whatever his answer, 13 September has unambiguously become his date. Exactly one year ago — at the 91st minute — a thunderous shot from over 30 metres gifted Tudor’s Juventus a delirious 4-3 victory against Inter and made the teenage Montenegrin the unlikely hero of the Derby d’Italia. Last night, at the 94th minute, he became the executioner of his former club instead — condemning Juventus to their first Serie A defeat of the season and gifting Sassuolo a breathless 3-2 victory. The same date. The same minute range. The same player. An entirely opposite outcome.
How Aquilani Set the Trap
Adžić was decisive last night as he was a year ago — but in both cases, he came from the bench. Sassuolo manager Alberto Aquilani had preferred Thorstvedt from the start, deliberately conserving the class of 2006 for the second half when legs would be tired and spaces would open. “I knew he would make the difference coming on with the teams more fatigued,” Aquilani explained afterwards. “I was fortunate — and he was brilliant.” The decision proved perfect. When Juventus, having equalised through Zhegrova’s second goal, threw everyone forward in search of what would have been a remarkable winner, Sassuolo found the space to break with devastating effect. Adžić arrived. Adžić struck. 3-2 at the 94th minute.
The Gesture That Defined the Moment — No Celebration
He did not raise his arms. He turned away from the Sassuolo celebrations with something approaching apology in his body language. The bond with Juventus — two years, the Inter goal, the dressing room, the daily work at the Continassa — is too fresh and too real for wild celebration. A fine partita è lo stesso centrocampista a raccontare una serata difficilmente immaginabile: “Provo emozioni strane, ma indimenticabili” — strange emotions, but unforgettable ones. He specified the symmetry that had not escaped him: “Last year on this date I scored my first goal with Juventus. Today I scored against ‘my’ Juventus — because I was with them for two years. But in the end I am happy for the team and for the performance. We played an extraordinary match.” Shango Media
An Extraordinary Start at Sassuolo — a Complete Contrast to Last Season
The full picture of Adžić’s 2026-27 season so far makes for remarkable reading. Un inizio di stagione straordinario per il montenegrino classe 2006, già autore di 3 reti e un assist nelle prime 5 partite, tra campionato e Coppa Italia. Three goals and an assist in his first five appearances for Sassuolo — across Serie A and the Coppa Italia — in a season of loan that has already delivered what the whole of last year could not. The contrast with his 2025-26 at Juventus is stark and painful: 349 total minutes, one moment of individual genius against Inter, and the isolation that comes from being a teenager in a squad that was too big, too busy, and too turbulent to give him the continuity his talent requires. Shango Media
At Sassuolo, under Aquilani’s careful and creative management, he has found what was missing: trust, regularity, and the freedom to take the risk. The manager speaks of him alongside Bakola and Esposito as examples of the young quality his project has assembled — and the results are visible in every match. Il passaggio al Sassuolo offre ad Adzic ciò che non aveva: giocare con regolarità e sentirsi centrale nel progetto. Stadiosport
The Counter-Option That Now Gleams
In the midst of the devastation of the first league defeat, Juventus supporters will find cold comfort in the contract structure that Carnevali insisted upon when agreeing the Adžić loan. The counter-option — Juventus’s right to match any Sassuolo purchase and buy him back at €1.7 million over the purchase price — was dismissed as technical insurance at the time. Tonight it looks considerably more significant. A player who scored the decisive goal against Inter on 13 September 2025 and the decisive goal against Juventus on 13 September 2026 is not simply a promising teenager. He is a player with a relationship with the decisive moment that no coaching can manufacture. The date is his. And Juventus, via that counter-option, retain the means to ensure he one day returns to make it theirs again.
