01 June 2016
Juventus’ Under 19s are just one game away from winning a first Scudetto since 2006 after overcoming Torino 1-0 in Wednesday’s last four tie in the Final Eight to reach the tournament’s showpiece event on Saturday against Roma.
Fabio Grosso’s young guns were entirely dominant in the first half against their inter-city rivals and might have taken a 14th-minute lead when Nicolò Pozzebon sent his header inches over the crossbar from a promising position.
On 26 minutes, however, the lively striker did not put a foot wrong when he nipped into the area to collect the loose ball and fired an unstoppable shot past opposition keeper Andrea Zaccagno.
The Bianconeri continued to control proceedings for the remainder of the half and thoroughly deserved their advantage at the break.
Despite a dip in tempo during the second period, Juve still threatened on a couple of occasions, when Spanish right-back Pol Lirola forced Zaccagno into a smart save from the edge of the box before hitting narrowly wide of the mark in the 67th and 73rd minutes respectively.
Torino stepped up their own attacks as they chased an equaliser with greater urgency, but Bianconeri stopper Emil Audero was equal to Simone Edera’s strike and Boubacar Traorè could not keep his close-range effort on target deep into injury-time.
The win sees Grosso’s charges play their third final of an unforgettable season, in which they will be keen to claim a second trophy to show for their impressive efforts following March’s Viareggio Cup victory.
