Juve's Serie A campaign got off to the perfect start in front of a full Allianz Stadium (an attendance of 40,696, a record for the first match of the season), scoring three goals during a dominant performance.
Juventus walked away as 3-0 winners over Como, thanks to goals from Mbangula, Weah and Cambiaso.
THE FIRST HALF
At his first competitive match in charge of Juventus, Coach Thiago Motta sprung a few surprises with his team selection: Gatti and Bremer lined up as centre back partners, with Gatti given the captain’s armband, but the biggest surprise was the inclusion of skilful winger Mbangula on the left, making his debut for the club.
The match was enthralling from the outset and was played at a high tempo despite the heat, with Juve trying to play on the front foot and Como unwilling to sit back.
Juve had their first real chance in the 20th minute when Vlahovic timed his leap well to meet a cross from the right-hand side, but he was unable to guide his header on target.
'SAM'-TIME
In the 22nd minute, Mbangula broke the deadlock as he drove inside from the left before firing the ball low into the far corner, causing the Allianz Stadium to erupt in celebration, before bowing to the crowd in thanks. One-nil.
Juve continued to apply pressure and in the 33rd minute Mbangula tried to turn provider as he attempted to tee up Vlahovic who was marked closely by a Como defender. Two minutes later, it was Yildiz’s turn to threaten as he saw his effort denied by Reina.
Juventus came close to doubling their advantage in the 42nd minute, winning the ball deep in Como territory and exploiting the momentarily disorganised opposition defence to find Vlahovic whose left footed effort hit the post. Juventus did find the second goal shortly after through Weah, who also hit the woodwork, as his rocket of a strike from around the penalty spot bounced down off the crossbar and crossed the line before coming back out.
A SECOND HALF DOMINATED BY DUSAN
The start of the second period revolved entirely around a very unlucky Dusan Vlahovic. In the 46th minute he found the back of the net with a fantastic header, only for it to be chalked off for offside following a VAR review. Then in the 53rd minute, Vlahovic once again saw his initial effort denied by Reina before hitting the post for a second time in the match with the rebound from a tight angle.
Despite not quite reaching the tropical temperatures of a few days ago, it remained very hot and as a result the game dropped in tempo during the closing stages and chances became few and far between. On a positive note, Juventus continued to move the ball well, searching for new avenues of attack and trying to find gaps in the opposition defence.
There remained time for more debuts: that of Savona and that of Douglas Luiz, who was greeted by a standing ovation (as was Locatelli, whom he replaced).
Finally, in the final moments of the game, Cambiaso capped off a great team performance with a stunning strike from the edge of the box to bring the evening to a perfect end.
A good start…
JUVENTUS-COMO 3-0
Scorers: 23’ Mbangula (J), 45’+1 Weah (J), 90’+1 Cambiaso (J).
Juventus: Di Gregorio; Cambiaso, Bremer, Gatti, Cabal; Locatelli (79’ Douglas Luiz), Thuram (67’ Fagioli); Weah (46’ Savona), Yildiz, Mbangula; Vlahovic. Unused substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, Danilo, McKennie, Rouhi. Manager: Motta.
Como: Reina; Moreno, Goldaniga, Barba, Sala; Strefezza, Baselli (22’ Engelhardt), Braunoder, Da Cunha (56’ Abildgaard (63’ Verdi)); Belotti (56’ Gabrielloni), Cutrone (63’ Cerri). Unused subsitutes: Audero, Dossena, Cassandro. Manager: Fabregas.
Referee: Marcenaro.
Assistant Referees: Giallatini and Zingarelli.
Fourth Official: Perenzoni.
VAR: Meraviglia.
Assistant VAR: Marini.
Bookings: Sala (C), Engelhardt (C), Locatelli (J), Verdi (C), Goldaniga (C), Cambiaso (J).
Stoppage time: 3’ in the first half, 6’ in the second half.