We needed this sort of team performance: Pirlo on Juventus' Italian Super Cup win
Reggio Emilia, Italy: Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo is delighted over winning his first trophy as manager after his side defeated Napoli to lift the Italian Super Cup.
Juventus won their ninth Italian Super Cup title after securing a 2-0 win over Napoli here on Thursday. Before this match, Juventus had suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Inter Milan in Serie A and Pirlo said it was important to get back to winning ways.
"It's a very happy moment and lifting my first trophy as a coach makes it even better. It was important to get back to winning ways after the defeat by Inter. We had to showcase our pride and when you take to the pitch with that determination, you can do well. We needed this sort of team performance in which the players really dug in," the club's official website quoted Pirlo as saying.
The first half of the game witnessed a tough competition, with both clubs restricting each other from taking the lead. With the game at 0-0, Juventus started pressing in the second half and eventually broke the deadlock with the help of Cristiano Ronaldo's stunning 64th-minute goal.
Napoli had a really good chance of levelling the scores when they were awarded a penalty in the 78th minute. However, Insigne missed the opportunity. As the match inched closer to its conclusion, Alvaro Morata scored a goal, giving Juventus a 2-0 win in the match.
Juventus' Giorgio Chiellini also expressed delight over winning the title and said it was the outcome of his team's "top performance".
"It meant so much to us, first of all because a trophy was on the line and we didn't want to let it get away, even more so after the defeat on Sunday. You try to isolate these moments as much as possible, but we were hurt by the defeat and have heard so many write us off too early, which has really fired us up and made us even more united. We put in a top performance," he said.
Juventus will now return to action on Sunday when they face Bologna in Serie A.
