Juve maintain winning start as Evra debutises

Nathan Williams 08:36 14/09/2014
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  • Perfect start: Carlos Tevez (c) is mobbed by team-mates after his goal on eight minutes broke the deadlock in Turin.

    Juventus joined Roma at the top of Serie A with two wins out of two this season after beating Udinese 2-0 at the Juventus Stadium.

    Carlos Tevez and Claudio Mar­chisio supplied the goals for Mas­similiano Allegri’s side, who strug­gled more than necessary after failing to make their pressure count in the first half.

    After running a few risks, though, they picked up the win they were looking for to warm them up for Tuesday’s Champions League opener against Malmo in Turin.

    Juve – who won every single one of their 19 Serie A games at the Juventus Stadium last season – were quick to assert their author­ity, pegging their opponents back in their own half in their customary style.

    They needed only eight minutes to break the deadlock with Tevez opening his account for the season, just days before he will bid to end a four-year drought in the Champi­ons League.

    The Argentinian, who was an in­jury doubt right up to kick-off, was lurking in just the right place at the right time as Stephan Lichtstein­er’s attempt to pull the ball across deflected back to him eight yards out and he provided a neat low fin­ish.

    The Bianconeri, still camped in their opponents’ half, struggled to translate their superiority into further goals, with Udinese manag­ing to remain just one goal behind going into the break. Luis Muriel was withdrawn and Bruno Fernandes came on, and Andrea Stramaccioni’s tactical change led to a transformation in his side, and the game.

    Stramaccioni was the first visit­ing coach to win at the Juventus Stadium, succeeding with Inter Milan two seasons ago, and some Juve fans may have had that 3-1 de­feat in their minds as the Zebrette started to make some inroads in the second half.

    Juve’s defence was beginning to wobble when Igor Bubnjic lifted Danilo’s shot into the roof of Gian­luigi Buffon’s goal from a yard out, but the offside flag came to Juve’s rescue. It was enough of a warning for Juve, who responded with Mar­chisio powering in a low shot from just outside the penalty area to give them a cushion that made the final 15 minutes that bit more relaxing for Allegri.

    The game also witnessed a Juve debut for Patrice Evra, and the French international said: “It is incredible. [Paul] Pogba told me about the stadium, I’d never played here and the fans were amazing.

    “I have to thank everyone, from the fans to players and staff, and will try to repay them with my per­formances.”

    He added: “The difference is the game is less intense, but more tac­tical, so you have to stay concen­trated at all times and cannot be distracted for a moment.” 

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