Sports
Juventus wins record seventh Italian Super Cup title
Shanghai: Juventus captured its seventh Italian Super Cup title with a 2-0 victory over Lazio, getting a goal apiece from newly signed strikers Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala.
Juventus, which won last season’s Serie A and Coppa Italia titles, got its 2015-16 campaign off to an auspicious start here on Saturday despite the departure of several players instrumental in its recent success, including Carlos Tevez, Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo, reports EFE.
Turin-based Juventus, which also was without key players such as Alvaro Morata, Sami Khedira and Giorgio Chiellini due to injuries, still had too much firepower for Lazio Saturday at Shanghai Stadium.
The Roman club, which qualified for the Super Cup on the basis of its runner-up finish in last season’s Coppa Italia, stayed even with Juventus in the first half thanks to a strong play from goalkeeper Federico Marchetti.
But Mandzukic got Juventus on the board by rising up and heading a cross from midfielder Stefano Sturaro into the back of the net in the 69th minute.
Four minutes later, Dybala, who had come on 15 minutes into the second half, received a pass from Paul Pogba in the middle of the penalty area and blasted a powerful left-footed shot that brushed the crossbar before landing in the upper part of Lazio’s goal.
In remarks to the Sky network, Dybala said it was an “unforgettable” experience to score in his first-ever appearance in the Juventus jersey.
With the win, Juventus now have a record seven Italian Super Cup titles, one more than rivals AC Milan.
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Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.