Milan, Aug 25: Canada forward Jonathan David scored in his Serie A debut to set Juventus on the way to a 2-0 win over Parma in their season opener.
David joined Juventus in July on a free transfer after his five-year contract at Lille expired.Juventus ended the match with 10 men after Andrea Cambiaso was sent off seven minutes from time but substitute Dusan Vlahovic doubled the Bianconeri’s lead moments later on Sunday.
“It’s everything I hoped for,” said David, who was given a standing ovation when he was replaced by Vlahovic in the 80th minute.
“It was the first game of the season and the fans brought an amazing atmosphere and you could feel them pushing us forward.
“I’m happy to score in my first game but the most important thing is the three points.” The 25-year-old David scored 25 goals and provided 12 assists in 49 matches across all competitions for Lille last season.
David is also Canada’s all-time leading scorer with 36 goals in 67 appearances.
“The target is to help the team as much as I can,” David said.
“If it’s by scoring goals, by getting assists, running back, defending, I will do everything.”
Juventus struggled in the first half but was dominant after the break and broke the deadlock in the 59th minute when David got in front of his marker to prod home Kenan Yildiz’s cross.
Yildiz also set up Juve’s second as a rapid counterattack saw Vlahovic send him down the right and then race from the center circle into the box to tap home the return pass.
That came shortly after Cambiaso earned himself a needless red card. He had gone up together with Mathias Løvik for a high ball and then reacted by shoving the Parma player and appearing to strike him in the face with his arm.Pisa’s first match back in Serie A since 1991 ended with a credible 1-1 draw at Atalanta.
Pisa, which finished second in Serie B last season, surprisingly took the lead in Bergamo in the 26th minute.
Idrissa Touré’s cross from the right went through to Samuele Angori, who put it back into the area toward Henrik Meister, but Atalanta defender Isak Hien bundled it over the line instead.
Atalanta was playing its first match of the post-Gian Piero Gasperini era after the coach left for Roma following nine years in charge and was replaced by Ivan Juric.
Juric’s halftime talk paid off as Atalanta was a team transformed after the interval. (AP)
