Football
ESPN staff 7y

Juventus' Max Allegri thankful for Gigi Buffon after first VAR-given penalty

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri said he was thankful for the presence of Gianluigi Buffon after Serie A's first-ever video review went against his side on Saturday.

With replay involved for the first time this weekend, the video assistant referee awarded a penalty to Cagliari after a foul from Alex Sandro, but Diego Farias' effort was saved by the legendary goalkeeper and Juventus won 3-0.

Allegri said it would take some time for him to adjust to the new system, but was happy to count on Buffon when needed.

"We'll have to get used to waiting for the decision," Allegri said. "In this case it was a penalty against us but fortunately we have the best guy around in goal -- he sorts out all sorts of problems for us.

"We defended well out there, especially after the penalty. Before then we let them in a few times, including the move that led to the penalty itself.

"All things considered we performed well at both ends of the pitch."

The opening victory was welcome after Juventus endured a difficult few months. They lost their second Champions League final in three years, key defender Leonardo Bonucci moved to AC Milan amid reports of infighting, and Juve lost the Italian Super Cup to Lazio last weekend.

But Allegri was pleased to see his team start fresh with a comprehensive win over Cagliari.

"Considering that at the beginning of the season there's a bit of sparkle lacking, we did well," Allegri said. "When the team works together in defense it's difficult for our opponents to shoot on goal.

"In preseason we always conceded, and that was a sign that something wasn't working.'

Paulo Dybala was playing his first league game since taking the No. 10 helm, but he said he was prepared for the challenge of living up to the famous shirt.

"It's not easy to follow in the footsteps of so many fantastic players who have worn the shirt before me and I'm not going to carried away after today," Dybala said. "I need to keep going as I am."

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