Juventus 2-0 Lazio: Debutants Mandzukic and Dybala secure Supercoppa Italiana

Date: 8th August 2015 at 4:01pm
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Juventus defeated Lazio 2-0 to win the Supercoppa Italiana at Shanghai Stadium in China on Saturday and secure a record seventh title in the 2015-16 curtain raiser.

Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala both scored on their Bianconeri debuts with the goals coming in the space of five minutes during the second-half.

Both sides struggled to adapt to the windy conditions and state of the pitch throughout the match with the ball bobbling over bare patches covered by cut grass spread by grounds staff.

Stephan Lichtsteiner was one of several players to blame a bobble after scuffing a cross into the hands of Lazio goalkeeper Federico Marchetti, but the former Aquile full-back went closest in the first-half with a long-range shot just over the crossbar.

Juventus nearly opened the scoring within three minutes of the second-half after Paul Pogba sent Mandzukic through on goal only to shoot straight at Marchetti before the new Bianconeri No.10 unleashed a scorching shot that whistled just wide.

Both teams made attacking substitutions after an hour with Dybala replacing surprise starter Kingsley Coman, while Filip Djordjevic was introduced for Miroslav Klose.

Juventus soon broke the deadlock when Mandzukic leapt above Dusan Basta to head a Stefano Sturaro cross from the right side into the far bottom corner from six yards.

The Bianconeri then doubled their lead after Dybala emphatically finished into the roof of the net after a Pogba cutback from the left side of the penalty box.

The Biancocelesti responded by introducing summer-signings Ricardo Kishna and Ravel Morrison before Leonardo Bonucci made two decisive blocks inside the box on Antonio Candreva.

The result means that Juventus are the most successful side in the history of the Supercoppa and move ahead of AC Milan, while Lazio still await a fourth title.

 

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