Gigi to the rescue
the VAR, but not even that could help an outplayed Cagliari as Juve keeper Gianluigi Buffon saved the spotkick.
Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri, opting to play Dybala up front alongside Higuain with Mandzukic operating just behind, was quick to praise Buffon in what is scheduled to be the 39-year-old’s final season.
“I expected the referee to give the penalty, luckily we have Buffon, the No.1 in goal. He got us out of a sticky situation,” Allegri told Premium Sport.
A neat midfield move saw Mandzukic hold off his marker and half-volley Stephan Lichtsteiner’s ball past Alessio Cragno on the half hour. When Cagliari carved out their first real chance of the game, Juventus had Buffon to thank for stopping Diego Farias’s curling drive from eight yards out.
Farias was gifted an immediate chance to make amends, but after Maresca took just over one minute to consult video footage following Alex Sandro’s foul on Duje Cop, Buffon guessed right to save the Brazilian striker’s effort on 39 minutes.
Dybala doubled Juve’s lead in first-half injury-time, controlling Miralem Pjanic’s brilliant quick ball over the top before firing past Cragno.
Juve spurned two chances in quick succession before Higuain made up for earlier misses from Dybala and Mandzukic by latching on to Alex Sandro’s angled delivery to beat Cragno down low for his first goal of the season in the 66th minute.
Higuain received a standing ovation when he was replaced by midfielder Blaise Matuidi, the France international who signed from Paris Saint-Germain in midweek for € 20 million (RM101.02 million), before on-loan Bayern Munich winger Douglas Costa also made his Serie A debut. – AFP