Juventus enjoy 3-0 win over Rapid Vienna
By Simon Evans
TURIN, Italy, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Juventus cruised to a 3-0 win over Rapid Vienna in Champions League Group A on Tuesday to make it two wins out of two for the Italian champions.
A 27th minute goal from forward David Trezeguet put Fabio Capello's side in charge and although the Turin side suffered a few minor scares they wrapped up the win with goals from Adrian Mutu and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the last eight minutes.
The result keeps Juve top of the standings ahead of Bayern Munich, who also have six points from two games after beating visitors Club Bruges 1-0 in the other group match.
But it was a low-key performance from the Italians in a match played in front of a pitiful crowd of 11,156 in the 70,000 capacity Delle Alpi stadium.
Nonetheless, Capello's side maintained their 100 percent record in Serie A and Europe this season with their seventh straight win.
FIRM GRIP
Juventus, who had former Lazio midfielder Giuliano Giannichedda deputising for the suspended Patrick Vieira in midfield and again left forward Alessandro Del Piero on the bench, took a firm grip on the game from the outset.
Swedish striker Ibrahimovic tried the first of several long-range efforts in the eighth minute before Brazilian Emerson fired just over the bar and Mauro Camoranesi hit the side netting with a drive from the edge of the area.
Despite the pressure and little trouble for the Italian side's defence, a lack of precision near goal let Juve down and the prospect of a frustrating night looked on the cards.
But in the 27th minute Juventus took the lead with a goal of textbook simplicity.
Ibrahimovic fed Gianluca Zambrotta down the left and the Italy international picked out Trezeguet with a pinpoint cross that the Frenchman, having lost his marker, casually slotted home.
Rapid's first real effort on goal did not come until 10 minutes after the break when substitute Axel Lawaree, on for Muhammet Akagunduz, broke free down the left and shot powerfully but Juve keeper Christian Abbiati parried the ball to safety.
LIVEN UP
Capello replaced Trezeguet with Del Piero on the hour and then added Romanian Adrian Mutu for Camoranesi as he looked to liven up his attack in search of a potentially decisive second.
At the other end Lawaree went close with a toe-poked effort from the edge of the area but Rapid rarely threatened.
Juve should have wrapped the game up 15 minutes from time when Del Piero broke free and selflessly fed Ibrahimovic but the Swede fired straight at Rapid keeper Helge Payer.
The final 10 minutes brought a flurry of activity with Payer in action again when Pavel Nedved set up Del Piero whose stinging volley brought a fine save from the Austrian keeper.
Rapid responded with Andreas Ivanschitz's well-struck effort from the edge of the area forcing Abbiati to full stretch but the game was put beyond the Austrians in the 82nd minute.
Mutu broke down the left and cut inside before firing a low shot into the bottom corner past the outstretched Payer.
Then a deep cross from Nedved found Ibrahimovic at the back post and, at the end of a below-par night for the former Ajax striker, he fired a volley into the ground and past Payer to make it 3-0.
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