A hard-fought 2-1 victory at Atalanta on Saturday night, courtesy of strikes from David and goal-machine Dusan Vlahovic, polished off the warm-up matches before Juventus host Parma next weekend.
Last summer the Bianconeri splashed the cash on Project Motta, fast forward to Igor Tudor leading the Vecchia Signora project and he has now landed his first silverware as head coach. The Trofeo Achille e Cesare Bortolotti is dedicated to the memory of the two late Atalanta presidents.
Although Juventus would love to win the Scudetto for the first time since their 2019/20 campaign, it does seem an ambitious feat bearing in mind their Serie A rivals.
Atalanta, who finished third last season and scored 78 goals under wily manager Gian Piero Gasperini, They have AS Roma and Southampton flop Ivan Juric at the helm, so may not be the force they once were. Especially with so many arrivals and departures this summer, including former Juventus target Mateo Retegui moving to Al-Qadsiah FC for €70 million (US81.9m).
Tussle between Croatia tacticians
In the battle between two Croatian bosses, the game peaked towards the end in terms of excitement. This was when there were tired legs, with all three goals scored inside the last 20 minutes.
From the first whistle the contest was more like a cagey yet fast-paced Serie A match as there was the prize of landing a trophy. Juve keeper Michele Di Gregorio stopped Isak Hien’s header from Lorenzo Bernasconi’s sixth–minute corner from finding the bottom left corner as the game shifted into top gear.
Despite both sides spurning early scoring chances, the highlight was the relentless creative work from Turkish talent Kenan Yildiz.
Yildiz sent a glorious pass into the area only for David to fluff his chance on 21 minutes. The Canada international immediately made amends for his miss by picking out former Atalanta ace Teun Koopmeiners in the box, but his effort was saved by shotstopper Marco Carnesecchi.
Carnesecchi had to be on his toes five minutes later after Yildiz’s mesmerized the home defense with a spectacular cut in from the right flank and tried his luck. Charles de Ketelaere also showed his silky skills with a brilliant run down the right wing before testing Gregorio just past the half-hour mark.
Carnesecchi kept busy by Juve
A dull start to the second half was livened up on the hour when Andrea Cambiaso, who bagged a brace against Borussia Dortmund, unleashed a left-footer that Carnesecchi did well to prevent from nestling into the top left corner.
Atlanta made changes to shake up the clash. Striker Gianluca Scamacca was replaced by Kamaldeen Sulemana, a recent acquisition from Juric’s former club Southampton, followed by a triple substitution to bring on Lazar Samardzic, Giorgio Scalvini and Davide Zappacosta.
With the hosts still adjusting to their faces, Juve turned up the heat and broke the deadlock on 73 minutes with a memorable aerobatic bicycle kick from goal poacher David.
Khephren Thuram picked out Nicolas Gonzalez, who laid it off for David to slot home from close range. His reward was a rest, immediately replaced by Vlahovic.
Goal-getter Vlahovic invaluable
The wantaway Serbia striker, who is on the wanted list of a trio of Spanish giants, bagged his third pre-season goal five minutes after arriving on the pitch. He was set up by a counterattack from Joao Mario and has proved to be such an asset to Tudor that the club may be reluctant to let him leave this summer.
The Bergamo team were finding the Juve defense tricky to break down, Yet they reduced the deficit on 90 minutes through Samardzic, who did well in tight space to beat a couple of defenders and Di Gregorio.
The Nerazzurri came close to snatching a last-gasp equalizer, but Di Gregorio was equal to Sulemana’s header.
Yildiz wins MVP award
Bernasconi won the Valter Polini award for being the fairest player of the match, with Yildiz handed the Mario Bresciani accolade as the game’s MVP.
Tudor revealed at the post-match press conference: "Vlahovic coming off the bench was useful. He scored, he helped his team-mates and it was right to let him play.
"I want a Juve team that knows how to combine quality, organisation and fighting spirit. The group has enthusiasm, and in the locker room there is good energy."
JUVENTUS: Di Gregorio - Gatti (McKennie, 91), Bremer (Rugani, 80), Kelly (Kalulu, 80) - N.Gonzalez (Mario, 75), Thuram (Locatelli, 76), Koopmeiners, Cambiaso (Kostic, 75) - Conceicao (Adzic, 80), Yildiz - David (Vlahovic, 75). Subs: Pinsoglio, Fuscaldo, F.Gonzalez, Martinez.