Lechia Gdansk vs. Juventus: Score and Reaction from 2015 Pre-Season Friendly

Juventus' Mario Mandzukic scored a last-minute winner to gift his team a 2-1 win over Lechia Gdansk in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday in Gdansk, Poland.

Paul Pogba had given the Italian champions an early lead with a powerful header, but young prodigy Adam Buksa equalised with 10 minutes left on the clock. A draw seemed almost inevitable, but Mandzukic produced a moment of magic to score his first goal for his new club, bagging the win in the process.

The Italians dominated play early—with Paulo Dybala stealing the show—but as one might expect in pre-season, a number of second-half substitutions took all of the wind out of their sails. Lechia fully deserved to draw level when Buksa hit the target, only to suffer late heartbreak.

Manager Massimiliano Allegri decided to change things up on Wednesday, reverting back to the 3-5-2 formation the Bianconeri frequently used under former manager Antonio Conte and handing several players their first start for the club, via FourFourTwo's Adam Digby:

Fans would keep a close eye on Daniele Rugani, the talented defender who celebrated his 21st birthday on Wednesday. Veteran centre-back Andrea Barzagli will miss the start of the 2015-16 Serie A campaign with an injury, per Digby, and following the sale of Angelo Ogbonna, Rugani is the favourite to take his spot.

The pressure on the youngster may mount even more, as star defender Giorgio Chiellini left the pitch in Poland early with what appeared to be a minor injury. Martin Caceres was his replacement.

Juventus started their pre-season with a 2-0 loss against Borussia Dortmund, and fans were hoping for a better showing in Poland. It took the Italian champions less than four minutes to score their first goal of pre-season, as Pogba met Dybala's corner and nodded the ball home from close range. Here's the goal, courtesy of Juventus blogger Khaled Al Nouss:

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Pogba's goal. Dybala's assist. #LechiaJuve https://t.co/sRUqncpx4K

— Khaled Al Nouss (@KhaledAlNouss) July 29, 2015"

Dybala is arguably the most important addition Juventus have made all summer, especially after the departure of Carlos Tevez, and Digby thought club officials must have been excited he and star midfielder Pogba combined for the Old Lady's first highlight of the season:

The visitors easily controlled the first half, but chances were scarce. Pogba tested Lechia goalkeeper Lukasz Budzilek with one of his typical long-range drives after 21 minutes, and Dybala nearly doubled the team's tally after some fine work from Stefano Sturaro and Caceres.

Lechia fans had little to be excited about during the first half, but out of nowhere, the hosts nearly equalised before half-time. Bartlomiej Pawlowski worked himself open inside the box and fired a quick shot at Gianluigi Buffon's goal, but the ball hit the base of the post and harmlessly rolled out of play.

The chance gave the hosts some new energy, and Buffon was forced to make his first save of the match on a well-struck shot by Piotr Wisniewski. Juventus' defence was suddenly under real pressure, but fortunately for the Italians, the official ended the first half before Lechia were able to do real damage.

Without a doubt, Dybala was the visitors' top performer in the first half. His dribbling was reminiscent of the way Tevez terrorised defences last season, and Al Nouss was particularly impressed with the way he distributed the ball:

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Dybala's passes 

— Khaled Al Nouss (@KhaledAlNouss) July 29, 2015"

Simone Zaza failed to make much of an impression, although he was given few chances to show his worth. The Italy international found himself isolated near the Lechia box and clearly lacked sharpness in front of goal. 

The former Sassuolo man was taken off for Mario Mandzukic at half-time, and the summer acquisition nearly forced an own-goal minutes into the second half. He made a dangerous run toward Patrice Evra's cross, and under tremendous pressure, the Polish defence nearly worked the ball into their own net.

Norberto Murata Neto, who replaced Gianluigi Buffon early in the second half, was immediately forced to make a fine save at his near post, and a number of other substitutions seemed to stump the momentum the Bianconeri built right after the break. With the Supercoppa Italiana match against Lazio right around the corner, Allegri clearly wasn't taking any chances.

Lechia failed to capitalise on their advantage, however, as Neto once again showed why the Bianconeri brought him to Turin during the summer, via the club's official Twitter account:

Alberto Cerri fooled two defenders with a lovely turn before shooting straight at Budzilek, the first chance the visitors were able to muster in over half an hour. 

With 10 minutes left to play, 19-year-old super talent Buksa showed exactly why Lechia are so excited about his future, scoring the equaliser with some nifty footwork. Stojan Vranjes nearly won it for the hosts minutes later, firing just wide from close range.

Instead, the goal fell on the other side of the pitch. Mandzukic brought down a high cross and beautifully cut the ball to his left foot, putting the ball into the roof of the goal. The Vine, via Al Nouss:

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Superb control & finish from Mandzukic. #LechiaJuve https://t.co/kpc6l3cnOm

— Khaled Al Nouss (@KhaledAlNouss) July 29, 2015"

Juventus will travel to China to play Lazio in the Supercoppa Italiana before kicking off their Serie A campaign against Udinese. The Bianconeri didn't exactly look dominant during pre-season, but Allegri's men typically reserve their best football for when it actually matters.

Fans must hope Chiellini's knock isn't all that serious, as the Italian champions would hate to face the speedy Felipe Anderson and his team-mates without two of their top three defenders. Rugani did nothing to suggest he wouldn't be able to hold his own on the biggest stage, but there's no denying the Bianconeri defence would be vulnerable without both Chiellini and Barzagli.

Post-Match reaction

Allegri weighed in on why Chiellini was substituted early, explaining the defender felt some stiffness in his thigh, via the club's official Twitter account:

He also reserved special praise for Rugani, who more than held his own playing in the back three, and Dybala, who may have been the best player on the pitch:

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