Andrea Pirlo Enjoys Dream Start as Juventus Manager With 3-0 Win Over Sampdoria

Andrea Pirlo got off to the perfect start as Juventus boss, leading his side to a 3-0 victory over a lacklustre Sampdoria side.

Pirlo shaped Juve up in a 3-5-2 with Weston McKennie and Dejan Kulusevski both making their debuts.

Kulusevski wasted little time opening his Juventus scoring account, producing a stunning finish to put the hosts 1-0 up 13 minutes in.

Soon after, Cristiano Ronaldo came agonisingly close to doubling their lead, firing a shot off the crossbar after an excellent counter attack. Ronaldo had another good chance just before the break, picking the ball up in space and firing a shot just wide of the post.

Sampdoria then had a chance to level things up on the stroke of half time but Fabio Depaoli's shot from outside the box did not trouble Wojciech Szczęsny.

It was similarly one way traffic in the second half with Juventus dominating possession and restricting the visitors to pot shots. Eventually, the hosts extended their lead through Leonardo Bonucci.

Bonucci then latched onto a rebound in the box to score a rare goal, rifling a shot in from close range. Former Juventus man Fabio Quagliarella spurned a great chance to pull on back in the 87 minute. Seconds later, the Old Lady put the game to bed with Ronaldo finishing off a nice team move to put his side 3-0 up.

The victory will go a long way to calm some of the pre-season nerves about Pirlo's suitability as Juve manager, particularly after he started with a rather unorthodox team.

The Bianconeri will now focus their attentions on their meeting with Roma next Sunday. Paulo Fonseca's side will be hoping to bounce back from a disappointing draw against Hellas Verona this weekend.