Serie A Week 2 - 15/9/02 (15.00)
Juventus 3 - 0 Atalanta
Del Piero pen 27, 34 (J), Fresi 91 (J)
Stadio Delle Alpi
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The title holders began the defence of their reign against Atalanta, one of the most on-form teams of the pre-season months, but were pushed to victory by a sparkling Alessandro Del Piero.
Marco Di Vaio was given his official debut by pushing Marcelo Salas onto the bench and he immediately exhibited a good rapport with Del Piero. In the first minute goalkeeper Massimo Taibi was forced into a fine save on the ex-Parma star's header.
Di Vaio perhaps proved a little selfish on the counter-attack when instead of passing across to the unmarked Del Piero he went for glory.
Juventus continued to increase the pressure and on 26 minutes Luciano Zauri brought down Del Piero on the counter-attack. The referee pointed to the spot and the captain fired into the roof of the net despite Taibi getting a finger to it.
The points were made safe when Del Piero, on sparkling for this season, broke forward on another counter and slammed the ball into the net with his right foot.
In first half stoppage time Pavel Nedved combined with Del Piero and from a difficult angle still managed to clip the woodwork.
At the dawn of the second half Atalanta went extremely close to re-opening the game when Luigi Sala's volley thumped the crossbar.
Ciro Ferrara performed heroics in defence on the few dangerous moves from the visitors and almost scored with a glancing header.
The scoreline was sealed in stoppage time when substitute Salvatore Fresi, who joined from Bologna on a free transfer this summer, blasted a fierce piledriver into the top right-hand corner of the net.
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Juventus: Buffon; Thuram, Ferrara, Montero, Moretti; Camoranesi, Tacchinardi, Baiocco (Fresi 61); Nedved; Del Piero (C Zenoni 80), Di Vaio (Salas 67)
Atalanta: Taibi; Foglio, Sala, Zauri, Bellini; Gautieri, D Zenoni, Berretta (Carrera 71), Doni; Rossini, Inacio Pià
Ref: Paparesta
Football Italia