Juventus began their US tour with a 2-0 friendly victory over Chivas
Juventus began their US tour with a 2-0 victory over Chivas Guadalajara.
Juventus welcomed back Paul Pogba on Friday with a 2-0 friendly victory over Mexico’s Chivas Guadalajara in Las Vegas to kick off their US tour.
Pogba, the French World Cup-winning midfielder, joined Juventus on a free transfer this month after leaving Manchester United for a then-record fee of 105 million euros in 2016.
The 29-year-old was named to coach Massimiliano Allegri’s starting lineup at Allegiant Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.
However, it was Marco Da Graca who put Juventus ahead in the 10th minute after Federico Gatti’s header from a corner was parried by Chivas goalie.
In the 80th minute, Mattia Compagnon scored after Tommaso Barbieri’s solo run into the area ended with his blocked shot veering right to his teammate.
Pogba and Gatti were just two of Allegri’s recent additions, with former Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria playing in the starting eleven and Brazilian defender Gleison Bremer coming on in the second half.
Allegri expects them to cover the voids left by the exits of veteran Giorgio Chiellini, who recently signed with Major League Soccer’s LAFC, leading scorer Paulo Dybala, who moved to Roma, and Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt, who moved to Bayern Munich.
He is aware that fans expect Juventus to return to the top of Italian football after failing to hoist the trophy after winning nine titles in a row from 2011 to 2020.
Last season, they finished fourth and lost in the Coppa Italia final to Inter Milan.
“Our duty this year is to win,” Allegri stated in Las Vegas. “After winning trophies for the previous ten years in a row, last year was our first without, so we (are) obligated to win, and we all know that this is a critical year for us.”
The first half was dominated by Juventus, with Di Maria, Pogba, and Nicolo Fagioli all threatening.
A effort from Carlos Cisneros forced Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny into a save on the stroke of halftime.
After wholesale substitutions, Juventus looked less cohesive in the second half, but they still managed to not only keep Liga MX at bay, but also to extend their lead in a promising start to a tour that includes games against Barcelona at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas and Real Madrid at the Rose Bowl near Los Angeles.