Giorgio Chiellini Gives Juventus Cup Boost with Impressive Display vs. Sampdoria

The final day of the season in Italy saw league winners Juventus lift the Serie A trophy once again, the fifth time in as many years that they have finished in first place. Despite missing a number of key players, they celebrated with a 5-0 demolition of Sampdoria in a match that never truly tested the Bianconeri.

Goalkeeper and captain Gigi Buffon was rested, while midfielders Sami Khedira and Claudio Marchisio both missed the clash with injury. Furthermore, Alex Sandro was suspended following his red card against Hellas Verona last week, yet coach Massimiliano Allegri will undoubtedly have been pleased by many of those he drafted into the side.

Replacing Sandro, Patrice Evra opened the scoring in just the fifth minute—Juve’s fastest goal of the 2015/16 campaign—before Paulo Dybala took control of the game to net twice more before half-time.

The second of those was a wonderful curling effort, but even that paled in comparison with Giorgio Chiellini’s thundering strike after the break. Lurking on the edge of the box at a corner, the Italy international lashed an unstoppable shot past Sampdoria goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli and into the back of the net.

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Chiellini's goal. https://t.co/vbd5pHKf3c

— Khaled Al Nouss (@KhaledAlNouss) May 14, 2016"

It was Chiellini’s first goal of the season, and came in what was an important outing for the 31-year-old. Not only did the game mark the 400th appearance of his Juventus career, but it was also only his second start since February 28, missing out due to a raft of injuries but now seemingly back to full fitness.

With Leonardo Bonucci sadly set to miss out on the Coppa Italia final against AC Milan next Saturday due to suspension, Chiellini could prove vital for the Bianconeri. He created an instant solution should Allegri want to field a three-man defence, but the coach told reporters at his pre-match press conference that Chiellini “needs at least one hour on the pitch” if he hoped to do so.

He will have been pleased to see the Pisa native manage to comfortably surpass that, playing the entire game and delivering a solid performance as the FourFourTwo StatsZone graphic in the tweet below clearly highlights.

Taking three shots—two of which were on target—Chiellini also connected with 76 of his 81 pass attempts (93.8 percent) while still delivering an assured defensive performance. Winning three tackles, he made two interceptions, one clearance and committed just two fouls over the course of 90 minutes.

It was the type of assured display that has been a hallmark of his decade with the club, but one of a level that has been all too absent in a season that has seen Chiellini make just 33 appearances, his lowest tally since the 2007/08 campaign.

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

With that fifth-consecutive league title now sealing Juve’s place in history, the return to action of the big No. 3 will provide Allegri with options for their final fixture, with the coach already focused on that when he spoke to reporters after the victory over Sampdoria.

“I always thought we could win the Scudetto, and the boys joined me in believing we could do it all the way through,” Allegri said at his post-match press conference. “They’ve been fantastic. Now we have a Coppa Italia title to win. It won’t be easy against Milan, a side who have given us a run for our money when we’ve played them this season.”

It remains to be seen whether Chiellini will start at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico next Saturday, but this most recent display certainly showed that he is ready should that be the case.