Juve’s Serie A season started perfectly in front of a full Allianz Stadium (40,696 spectators, a record for the first game of the season), scoring three goals in a dominant performance.
Juventus won 3-0 against Como thanks to goals from Mbangula, Weah and Cambiaso.
THE FIRST HALF
In his first competitive match as Juventus manager, Thiago Motta pulled off a few surprises with his line-up, with Gatti and Bremer forming the centre-back duo and Gatti receiving the captain’s armband. The biggest surprise, however, was the selection of the technically gifted winger Mbangula to the left flank, making his debut for the club.
The game was exciting from the start and played at a high pace despite the heat. Juve tried to play offensively, but Como did not want to sit back.
Juve had its first real chance in the 20th Minute, when Vlahovic chose the right moment to jump on a cross from the right, but was unable to direct his header towards the goal.
‘SAM’ TIME
In the 22ndand In the first minute, Mbangula scored the opening goal when he cut in from the left and shot the ball flat into the far corner, which caused a storm of cheers in the Allianz Stadium. He then bowed in gratitude to the crowd. 1-0.
Juve continued to put pressure on and in the 33rdrd In the 14th minute, Mbangula tried to provide an assist, setting up Vlahovic who was closely marked by a Como defender. Two minutes later, it was Yildiz’s turn to pose a threat when his effort was blocked by Reina.
Juventus would have extended their lead in the 42and The 24-year-old scored in the 10th minute, winning possession deep in Como territory and taking advantage of a momentarily disorganised opposition defence to find Vlahovic, whose left-footed shot struck the post. Juventus scored their second goal soon after through Weah, who also hit the woodwork as his rocket-like shot from the penalty spot rebounded off the crossbar and over the line before going out again.
A SECOND HALF DOMINATED BY DUSAN
The beginning of the second half was dominated by the unlucky Dusan Vlahovic. In the 46th minute,th In the 53rd minute, he scored with a fantastic header, but the goal was disallowed for offside after a VAR review. Then in the 53rd minute,rd In the first minute, Vlahovic’s first attempt was again parried by Reina before the follow-up shot from a tight angle hit the post for the second time in the game.
Although the temperatures did not quite reach the tropical temperatures of a few days ago, it was still very hot, which meant that the game lost pace in the closing stages and there were few scoring opportunities. On a positive note, Juventus continued to move the ball well, looking for new attacking opportunities and trying to find gaps in the opposition’s defense.
There was time for other debuts: that of Savona and that of Douglas Luiz, who was greeted with a standing ovation (as was Locatelli, whom he replaced).
And finally, in the final moments of the game, Cambiaso crowned the great team performance with a breathtaking shot from the edge of the penalty area, thus ensuring the perfect end to the evening.
A good start…
**JUVENTUS-COMO 3:0
**
Goalscorers: 23′ Mbangula (J), 45’+1 Weah (J), 90’+1 Cambiaso (J).
Juventus: Di Gregorio; Cambiaso, Bremer, Gatti, Cabal; Locatelli (79′ Douglas Luiz), Thuram (67′ Fagioli); Weah (46′ Savona), Yildiz, Mbangula; Vlahovic. Unused substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, Danilo, McKennie, Rouhi. Manager: Motta.
Como: Reina; Moreno, Goldaniga, Barba, Sala; Strefezza, Baselli (22′ Engelhardt), Braunoder, Da Cunha (56′ Abildgaard (63′ Verdi)); Belotti (56′ Gabrielloni), Cutrone (63′ Cerri). Unused substitutes: Audero, Dossena, Cassandro. Manager: Fabregas.
referee: Marcenaro.
Assistant referees: Giallatini and Zingarelli.
Fourth Official: Perenzoni.
VAR: Wonder.
VAR Assistant: Marini.
Bookings: Sala (C), Engelhardt (C), Locatelli (J), Verdi (C), Goldaniga (C), Cambiaso (J).
Extra time: 3′ in the first half, 6′ in the second half.
