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| Jesús Sánchez #17 of Chivas defends against Paul Pogba #10 of Juventus during their preseason friendly match at Allegiant Stadium on July 22, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Juventus defeated Chivas 2-0. |
Juventus began their US tour on Friday by welcoming Paul Pogba back to the fold on Friday during a 2-0 friendly victory over Mexico's Chivas Guadalajara in Las Vegas.
French World Cup winning midfielder Pogba joined Juventus this month on a free transfer from Manchester United.
The 29 year-old made his presence felt at the Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders. But it was Marco Da Graca who fired Juventus ahead from close range in the 10th minute after Federico Gatti's header from a corner was parried by the Chivas goalkeeper.
Mattia Compagnon added a second goal in the 80th minute after Tommaso Barbieri's solo run into the area ended with his blocked shot veering straight to his teammate.
Pogba and Gatti were just two of the recent acquisitions that manager Massimiliano Allegri employed, with former Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria also in the lineup and Brazilian defender Gleison Bremer coming on amid a raft of changes for the second half.
After the game, Allegri said he was pleased with the result.
"The game was approached well and at times even with a good rhythm, both in the first and second half. I am satisfied with the Under 23 players and also with the new arrivals, who made their contribution," thge manager told Juventus' website.
"Now let's continue like this, because we want to do well in the next friendlies too. Pogba put on a good performance, there are some aspects to work on, he will be one of the symbols of this team. I liked Gatti, who did well in the lead up to the first goal, although obviously he still has some work to do to fit into the defensive mechanisms."
Juve are hoping to fill the gaps left by the departures of veteran Giorgio Chiellini, recently signed with Major League Soccer's LAFC, leading scorer Paulo Dybala in a transfer to Roma and Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt's move to Bayern Munich.
