A goal in stoppage time from substitute Simone Pepe saved Juventus’ blushes against the A-League All-Stars at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.
In was a lacklustre performance from Massimilano Allegri’s men who were forced to come from behind twice to overcome a dogged and resilient Australian outfit, with goals from Fernando Llorente, Paul Pogba and Pepe sealing the win.
Allegri picked a very strong starting 11 for the club’s second pre-season fixture in Asia, with only Giorgio Chellini and Arturo Vidal the only first-choice players missing.
It was the All-Stars started the match the brighter of the two sides, frustrating Juventus with their high-tempo game, getting in the face of the Old Lady and pressing high up the pitch, which culminated in the surprise opener to midfielder Marcelo Carrusca.
The Adelaide United playmaker took a neat pass from Thomas Broich in his stride and evaded the Juventus defence with ease to bury a curling finish past Gianluigi Buffon.
The home side continue to pepper the Bianconeri goal following the opener, with a touch of magic from Alessandro Del Piero providing Besart Berisha with a huge chance on the half-hour mark, only to be cruelly denied by a finger-tip save from Buffon.
In his reunion with his beloved Old Lady, Del Piero was having a major influence on the match, floating across the frontline and dazzling the boisterous crowd with his ability on the ball at the ripe old age of 39.
After a lacklustre start to the game, the Serie A champions settled in to the game, dominating the closing stages of the half with a vastly improved intensity on the ball, leading to Carlos Tevez being cruelly denied by the post just before the interval, after an excellent one-two pass with Andrea Pirlo.
The All-Stars begun the second half much as they did the first, opening up the Juventus defence with two early chances at goal, only for Buffon to come to the rescue once again.
Juventus responded with Claudio Marchisio sending his diving header just wide from a Tevez cross, with the game visibly opening up as the players began to tire.
The Bianconeri’s moment came just on the hour mark, after a lovely switch of play by Pirlo to Patrice Evra, who supplied Llorente with a superb cross, and the Spaniard made no mistake with the header to equalise.
Del Piero was withdrawn moments after the goal, and he received a standout ovation from fans and players alike, as he left the field in his last ever match on Australian soil.
As the game began to fizzle out following several substitutions from both sides, the home side against all the odds, found themselves with the lead once again thanks to a wonderful strike by substitute Tomi Juric.
With his back to the goal, the young Australian striker turned and crisply tucked away the powerful effort past substitute keeper Marco Storari, who was helpless to stop the strike.
The drama did not stop after Paul Pogba again levelled the scores after knocking home a sublime volley on the edge of the area, before substitute Pepe smashed home a long-range effort to give the visitors the lead in stoppage time.
