MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JULY 26: Paulo Dybala of Juventus runs with the ball during the 2016 International Champions Cup match between Juventus FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Melbourne Cricket Ground on July 26, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
Italian champions Juventus have defeated Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in their International Champions Cup Australia clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground tonight.
Juve’s star striker Paulo Dybala gave the Italian side the lead after just five minutes with a clinical finish on a breakaway caused by two Tottenham errors.
Juventus’ first-team absentees have been a hot topic, but that aspect was improved this match with new signings Miralem Pjanic and Medhi Benatia making their debuts, and they combined well to make it 2-0.
Tottenham failed to clear a corner properly and Pjanic delivered a tantalising cross which was headed in by Benatia. The Spurs protested for a foul in the build-up, but to no avail.
The London club also played with a team below full strength but they too started their new recruits Victor Wanyama and Vincent Janssen, who had contrasting performances – the former was excellent but the latter quite anonymous.
The Bianconeri let Tottenham back into the game through an error of their own – Hernanes robbed of the ball in his own half by the busy Wanyama, who immediately played the ball forward for Erik Lamela to slot beautifully into the bottom corner of the goal.
The Spurs pushed hard for an equaliser in the final 15 minutes, creating several chances, but Juventus did just enough to see out the match 2-1, thanks largely to the efforts of Brazilian keeper Neto.
source:theworldgame.sbs.com.au
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 