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Four-goal Juve trounce Torino

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Four-goal Juve trounce Torino
Four-goal Juve trounce Torino
Four-goal Juve trounce Torino

The Bianconeri’s defence of their Coppa Italia title began tonight and the 2015-winners showed every bit of their class and commitment to produce a thoroughly convincing performance and victory against inter-city rivals Torino in front of their home fans for the final time this calendar year.

If the first half was short on goalmouth action, Simone Zaza’s spectacular 28th minute strike helped to open the floodgates during a second period in which the striker completed his first Bianconeri brace, Paulo Dybala notched his 10th for the club and Paul Pogba rifled home a late free-kick to ensure that Massimiliano Allegri’s men won by their greatest margin of victory so far this season.

In an opening period in which both sides showed plenty of the grit and determination that go hand in hand with derby day, it would be Allegri’s men who made the brighter start, dictating the tempo and enjoying the lion’s share of possession, but without managing to penetrate the visitors’ well-organised backline.

That would be the case until just before the half-hour mark, when Juventus opened the scoring with the match’s maiden shot on target.

The goal was particularly pleasing on the eye and owed itself in no small part to Alvaro Morata’s slalom down the left side, in which he beat two defenders before crossing for Zaza, who caught the ball perfectly with an instinctive left-footed strike on the turn, which sailed into Salvador Ichazo’s top-left corner.

The hosts would continue to be the dominant force for the remainder of the half, Zaza trying his luck from outside the box with just two minutes remaining before the break, but Ichazo was able to usher the ball out for a goal-kick.

Meanwhile, opposite number Neto entered the interval having had no save to make whatsoever across the first 45 minutes.

The second period, meanwhile, began in utterly explosive fashion.

First, Morata forced Ichazo into a smart save, the Uruguayan stopper diving low to his left in order to stop the Spaniard from doubling his side’s lead. Then, Leonardo Bonucci bundled home, only to be flagged for offside.

By the 49th minute, Torino were down to 10 men after Cristian Molinaro received his second booking of the evening after an ugly challenge on Stephan Lichtsteiner.

Barely 100 seconds had passed following the defender’s dismissal and the Bianconeri found themselves two goals to the good.

And it would be Zaza to whom Claudio Marchisio’s free-kick into the box eventually fell and the striker showed great composure to turn his marker inside out before arrowing his shot into the far corner, bringing up his very first brace in the black and white.

It would take until the hour-mark for Giampiero Ventura’s men to finally find a way in behind the Bianconeri backline, but Andrea Belotti could only find the side netting.

Back up the other end of the field, Dybala was already keeping Ichazo and company on their toes in the moments after substituting Zaza, the Argentine bending a brilliant effort a whisker wide of the upright.

In the 73rd minute, the striker was celebrating his 10th Juve goal in all competitions under the South Stand with another spectacular strike that arched beautifully into Ichazo’s top-left corner.

And in precisely that same spot of the Uruguayan’s net is where Pogba’s thunderous free-kick ended up, the Frenchman on target against Torino in both derbies so far this season after hitting the opener in October’s league win.

Four-nil the final score and an emphatic statement of intent that this Bianconeri outfit are in no mood to surrender their Coppa Italia crown.

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