Any worries that fans had after Juventus’s poor preseason were erased today as Juve thumped Lazio 4-0 to win the Italian Super Cup.
Lazio were playing on home soil but they were comprehensively beaten by the Serie A champions. It represented Juve’s second straight Super Cup triumph and sixth in total, equalling AC Milan’s record.
The Bianconeri took the lead with a well-worked free-kick in the 23rd minute after Pogba had replaced the injured Claudio Marchisio. With Lazio expecting a trademark effort by Andrea Pirlo, he instead rolled the ball towards Stephan Lichtsteiner, whose cross was deflected into the path of Pogba, with the French midfielder beating Federico Marchetti with a precise left-footed shot.
Lazio were on the front foot for the rest of the half but their only real chance came via a long-range shot by Stefan Radu that forced Gianluigi Buffon into a superb fingertip save.
After the break, however, Antonio Conte’s team stepped up a gear and added three more goals in quick succession to kill the game. Lichtsteiner, a former Lazio player, proved the inspiration, starting on 52 minutes when he sprinted onto a pass by Arturo Vidal and found Giorgio Chiellini for an easy finish.
Two minutes later the Swiss international cut in from the right and beat Marchetti with the outside of his right foot after a one-two with Mirko Vučinić. It was soon four as Pogba sent a low cross in for Carlos Tévez to fire in at the near post.
