Juventus 4-2 Torino: Pogba returns in frenetic Derby della Mole win
Paul Pogba made his long-awaited second Juventus debut as the Bianconeri twice came from behind to beat city rivals Torino 4-2 in an entertaining Derby della Mole.
Pogba, who has endured several injury setbacks since re-joining from Manchester United, appeared as a second-half substitute at the Allianz Stadium and helped Juve record their fourth successive Serie A win.
Massimiliano Allegri's side were forced to respond twice in the first half, Juan Cuadrado and Danilo cancelling out goals from Yann Karamoh and Antonio Sanabria.
Juve completed the turnaround in the final 20 minutes with Bremer and Adrien Rabiot sealing the points and ensuring the Bianconeri's 18th straight derby without defeat.
Torino shook off the tag of being the only team not to score from a corner in Serie A this season after just 92 seconds when Alessandro Buongiorno flicked on Aleksey Miranchuk's corner and an unmarked Karamoh tucked away.
Juventus responded in the 16th minute as Filip Kostic found Cuadrado at the far post, with the Colombia international's effort deflecting into the roof of the net via Ricardo Rodriguez.
Torino regained the lead two minutes before the break when Sanabria poked home Ivan Ilic's low cross, but a frantic first half saw Juve level again in stoppage time – Danilo heading in from Angel Di Maria's corner.
Both sides rattled the crossbar after the break; Dusan Vlahovic denied before Karol Linetty was thwarted by the woodwork at the other end.
Allegri introduced Pogba and Federico Chiesa and the latter made an impact within two minutes, delivering a precise centre that was headed in by Bremer.
And local bragging rights were secured when Rabiot bundled home Kostic's free-kick at the far post – that goal allowed to stand after a long VAR check for offside.
What does it mean? Juve leave it late… again
Juventus stretched their unbeaten Derby della Mole streak to 18 matches after claiming their 14th win during that span.
A pulsating first half saw four or more goals scored for the first time in this fixture since January 1995.
The Bianconeri eventually swung the contest in their favour as they netted at least once after the 70th minute for the ninth time in 10 Serie A derbies against Torino.
Historic goal by Karamoh
It may have proved academic, but Karamoh created his own piece of Derby della Mole history with his early strike.
Neatly firing past Wojciech Szczesny inside the opening two minutes, the Torino winger netted the fastest goal recorded in any Serie A meeting between these two sides.
Pog's back
At long, long last, Juventus fans finally got to see Pogba back in the iconic black and white shirt.
Almost seven years since his last Bianconeri appearance – and nearly a year since his final Manchester United outing against Liverpool – the France international was introduced for the final quarter of the contest.
While he did not score or assist, his introduction certainly lifted his team-mates and helped inspire them to get the job done. Pogba finished with 14 touches and completed five of his 10 passes.
Key Opta Facts
- Juventus are unbeaten in their last 16 Turin derbies in Serie A (W12 D4).
- Di Maria (35 years, 14 days) became the second-oldest player to record at least four goals and four assists in his Serie A debut season, after Ashley Young in 2019-20.
- Sanabria has scored three goals against Juventus, all for Torino; against no side he has scored more goals in Serie A.
- Bremer has scored 13 goals in Serie A, more than any other centre-back over the last four seasons in the competition.
- Alex Sandro played his 300th game in all competitions for Juventus, while Szczesny made his 200th appearance for the club, and 150 of those have come in the league.
What's next?
Juve will look to make it five successive league wins when they travel to Jose Mourinho’s Roma on Sunday, while Torino aim to respond when they host Bologna the following day.