- Title: Allegri delighted after Juventus romp past Dinamo Zagreb
- Date: 27th September 2016
- Summary: ZAGREB, CROATIA (SEPTEMBER 27, 2016) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** WIDE OF JUVENTUS MANAGER, MASSIMILANO ALLEGRI, IN NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) JUVENTUS MANAGER, MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI, SAYING: "We played well, we had respect for our opponents. We won with a four goal margin which is important because goal difference could be crucial to top the group. From a technical standpoint, there is room to improve our football, players need to know each other better. For example, in the second half, when the score was good for us, we should have showed more composure, and we might have made a few mistakes, but overall, it was all fine." MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Croatian) DINAMO ZAGREB CARETAKER MANAGER, ZELJKO SOPIC, SAYING: "We played against a team which pressed us very low. The idea was to try to use counter attacks with two or three players to create chances against them, one of the best defensive lines in Europe, but the plan fell apart in the space of ten minutes. But I can't say we didn't move well on the pitch." WIDE OF SOPIC IN NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 12th October 2016 23:26
- Keywords: Dinamo Zagreb Juventus Champions League Allegri
- Location: ZAGREB, CROATIA
- City: ZAGREB, CROATIA
- Country: Croatia
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA00151CE8U7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Juventus coach Massimilano Allegri said he was pleased with his side's performance following their win at Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday (September 27).
Gonzalo Higuain scored his first Champions League goal for Juventus after his move from Napoli as the Italian title holders drubbed Croatian champions Dinamo 4-0 in their Group H match.
"We played well, we had respect for our opponents. We won with a four goal margin, which is important because goal difference could be crucial to top the group. From a technical standpoint, there is room to improve our football, players need to know each other better. For example, in the second half, when the score was good for us, we should have showed more composure, and we might have made a few mistakes, but overall, it was all fine," Allegri said.
The result put Juventus top of the section on four points from two games, ahead of Sevilla on goal difference after the Spanish side ground out a 1-0 home win over Olympique Lyon.
It was no more than the Italian title holders deserved after dominating throughout, with Bosnian playmaker Miralem Pjanic running the show in the opening period before he was substituted at halftime.
Allegri added that he was happy that the Italian giants kept a clean sheet, their third in row in all competitions.
Pjanic fired Juventus ahead with an opportunist finish before he turned provider for Higuain, who chested down the Bosnian playmaker's superb pass and side-footed it past Dinamo's 18-year old keeper Adrian Semper.
Higuain's Argentine compatriot Paulo Dybala made it 3-0 with a rasping shot from 30 metres shortly after the break for his first goal of the season as Juventus, who were held by Sevilla to a goalless home draw in their opening match, pressed on relentlessly.
Semper finally showed a glimpse of his talent when forward Marko Pjaca, who joined Juventus from Dinamo during the close-season, weaved his way past three of his former team mates and forced a good save from the keeper.
Brazilian Dani Alves completed the rout with a heavily deflected free kick in the 85th minute as Dinamo's bold 4-3-3 formation gave the visitors too much room to operate.
Dinamo's caretaker coach Zeljko Sopic, who stepped in after Zlatko Kranjcar resigned last week following a poor run, was realistic about his team's limits.
"We played against a team which pressed us very low. The idea was to try to use counter attacks with two or three players to create chances against them, one of the best defensive lines in Europe, but the plan fell apart in the space of ten minutes. But I can't say we didn't move well on the pitch," Sopic told reporters after the match. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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