17 August 2016
Summer signing Gonzalo Higuain opened his Juventus account as the Bianconeri rounded off their pre-season preparations with this afternoon’s 2-0 triumph over the Primavera at Villar Perosa.
Cheered on by a throng of adoring fans in glorious August sunshine, Massimiliano Allegri’s men began the afternoon by parading last season’s Scudetto, Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup trophies around the pitch before putting on a show for supporters in the club’s traditional curtain-raiser against Fabio Grosso’s youngsters.
The headline act of Higuain, recruited this summer for a club record fee from Napoli, didn’t fail to disappoint, nodding Hernanes’ corner home on 39 minutes after fellow new arrival Marko Pjaca had gone close to breaking the deadlock on a couple of occasions.
The Bianconeri’s lead was doubled shortly after the break when Primavera full-back Luca Coccolo turned into his own net under pressure from second-half substitute Paulo Dybala.
That would prove to be the final noteworthy action of the match, with the pitch invasion - commonplace in Villar Perosa folklore - arriving on 56 minutes.
Having signed off with autographs and photos for supporters, Juventus will now rest up ahead of their final straight of Serie A preparations, which continue tomorrow at the club’s training base in Vinovo.
Saturday? It all begins for real.
**JUVENTUS A 2-0 JUVENTUS B
GOALS**: Higuain 39, Coccolo (o.g) 48
JUVENTUS A
Buffon (Neto 16, Audero 46); Rugani (Macek 46), Bonucci, Chiellini (Barzagli 30); Lichtsteiner (Dani Alves 46), Khedira (Kastanos 46), Pjanic (Hernanes 11), Alex Sandro, Evra; Pjaca (Dybala 46), Higuain (Mandzukic 46)
Substitutes not used: Benatia, Marrone, Severin, Lemina, Untersee, Asamoah, Pereyra
Coach: Allegri
JUVENTUS B
Del Favero (Loria 33, Maricchi 53); Beruatto, Vogliacco (Merio 46), Coccolo (Zanandrea 53), Rogerio (Moussa 53); Muratore, Bove (Touré 33), Caligara (Morselli 33); Kanoute; Leris (Tripaldelli 53), Mosti (Mosti 33)
Coach: Grosso
REFEREE: Pairetto
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Ranghetti, Vivensi
