Juventus maintained their perfect start to the Serie A season with a comfortable 2-0 victory at home over Udinese on Saturday. Massimiliano Allegri's side were in control from the first whistle to the last, totally outclassing Andrea Stramaccioni's visitors.
Juventus vs. Udinese: Final score 2-0, Juve crush hapless Zebrette
Juventus crushed Udinese on Saturday to maintain their perfect start to the new Serie A season.
It took just eight minutes for Juve to take the lead, with the bianconeri starting the game in a typically imperious fashion. Roberto Pereyra slipped Stephan Lichtsteiner down the right flank, and Carlos Tévez was on hand to roll the Swiss wing-back's low cross beyond Orestis Karnezis for the game's opening goal.
Juventus continued to dominate throughout the first half, and had they been more incisive with their final pass, they probably would’ve scored a hatful before the halftime whistle. They went closest to doubling their advantage through former Udinese man Pereyra in the 29th minute, though he skied his shot over the crossbar from the edge of the box.
Further opportunities fell to both Paul Pogba, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Fernando Llorente before the interval, though their finishing was poor, and Udinese fortuitously remained just a goal behind at the break.
Juve's first-half dominance was as much to do with Udinese's terrible performance in possession as the hosts' excellence in it. The zebrette forwards Luis Muriel and Antonio Di Natale were left far too isolated in attack, and they failed to muster a single shot on Gianluigi Buffon's goal before the whistle.
The visitors were a little more proactive after the restart, and the introduction of lively Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes helped them gain greater control in midfield. They finally managed to put the ball into the back of the net shortly past the hour, though defender Igor Bubnjić was offside when he prodded home.
However, the scare was sufficient to spark Juve into life once more, and within ten minutes, Claudio Marchisio had ensured the points for the hosts. His low shot from the edge of the area squirmed inside Karnezis' far post, and another comfortable victory was sealed. So far, Juve have had a seamless transition under new coach Allegri.
Juventus: Buffon; Ogbonna, Bonucci, Cáceres; Evra, Pogba, Marchisio, Pereyra (Padoin 85’), Lichtsteiner; Tévez (Coman 81’), Llorente.
Goals: Tévez (8’), Marchisio (75’).
Udinese: Karnezis; Bubnjić, Danilo, Heurtaux; Pasquale, Guilherme (Pinzi 73’), Allan, Kone (Théréau 81’), Widmer; Di Natale, Muriel (Fernandes 46’).
Goals: None.
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