Juventus vs. Torino: Winners and Losers from Coppa Italia

Juventus stormed into the Coppa Italia quarterfinals with a 4-0 victory over intra-city rivals Torino on Wednesday night.

Simone Zaza fired the hosts ahead with a first-half stunner before doubling the lead early in the second half. Substitute Paulo Dybala added the third with another impressive strike, and Paul Pogba completed the scoring with a fine free kick eight minutes from time.

Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.

Winner: Simone Zaza

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Simone Zaza made the most of his 53 minutes on the pitch, scoring two good goals, inciting several opposing players with hard tackles and nearly getting himself sent off.

Most important, of course, were the two goals. In the 28th minute, the 24-year-old opened the scoring with an eye-catching half-volley from an Alvaro Morata cross. His technique was excellent, driving the ball past the helpless Salvador Ichazo despite having to deal with a tricky bounce.

Just before the goal, Zaza had come close to drawing a second yellow card, catching Ichazo with a late challenge in Torino's box moments after drawing a yellow card for a foul on Bruno Peres. Had the referee shown the red card, the outcome might have been rather different.

Instead, Zaza remained on the pitch and added Juventus' second goal in the 51st minute. He then hacked down Andrea Belotti moments later, prompting manager Max Allegri to bring on substitute Paulo Dybala.

Zaza lived on the edge in this game, but his ruthless attacking performance made him a winner in our eyes.

"Great performance Simone though," tweeted JuveFC.com. "Some call him one dimensional - He just scores goals. Simple as. No mystery to him."

Loser: Cristian Molinaro

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Let's be clear: Juventus won because their superior quality showed over 90 minutes. That said, the sending off of Cristian Molinaro early in the second half did Torino no favors.

Molinaro, who had already been booked in the first half, clattered into Stephan Lichtsteiner in the 49th minute, drawing a second yellow card and subsequent red. As replays of the incident showed, Molinaro couldn't have had any complaints. The foul fully warranted a yellow card, and he had to go.

For that, he's a loser here. Torino will bemoan the fact that Simone Zaza remained on the pitch despite multiple offenses that could have resulted in a second yellow card. But that doesn't change Molinaro's situation. Carrying a yellow card, he had to be more careful.

Once Torino went down to 10 men, the result was never in doubt. Juventus quickly made their advantage pay, scoring a second goal just two minutes after the dismissal. Two more goals followed later in the second half as Torino faded physically.

Winner: Paulo Dybala

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Paulo Dybala entered as a second-half substitute for Simone Zaza and promptly sparkled. After coming close multiple times, the 22-year-old notched an excellent goal of his own in the 73rd minute.

With Juve laying siege to Torino's area, Dybala accepted a pass along the edge of the box, took a touch and unleashed a scorching curling strike into the net at the opposite post. Salvador Ichazo had no chance.

Dybala has been brilliant in his first season with Juve, scoring eight times in Serie A, with one more in the Supercoppa and another in Wednesday's cup win over Torino. Watching him play, one can easily envision great things from the precocious Argentinean.

As the season progresses, look for Dybala to continue making a positive impact for Juventus.

After all, one of his most famous countrymen tipped him for great things recently. 

"Paulo is a great player and he has a bright future ahead of him," Barcelona and Argentina superstar Lionel Messi told Tuttosport (h/t ESPN FC) in October. "I have no doubt about it that people will talk about him a lot over the next few years."

Winner: Daniele Rugani

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Daniele Rugani finally made his first start for Juventus on Wednesday night, playing the full 90 minutes in the Bianconeri's three-man back line. The 21-year-old did quite well, hardly putting a foot wrong alongside veteran defenders Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.

After joining from Empoli in the summer, Rugani probably didn't expect that he'd have to wait until December for his first start. Rumors have inevitably swirled, with Metro reporting last month that Rugani had handed in a transfer request.

One good performance does not make a career, but perhaps this will lead to better things for the young defender.

“It was not easy for Rugani to play in a derby and especially a Coppa Italia knockout game, but he did very well,” Juventus manager Max Allegri told Rai Sport (h/t Football Italia).

Loser: Torino's Record Against Juventus

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Wednesday's result was in no way surprising. It's not news that Juventus have held the upper hand against their crosstown rivals in recent times.

But that's putting it mildly. Juventus have dominated the Derby della Mole for quite some time. Torino's last win at Juve came in 1995, and since then, the Granata have beaten their more illustrious neighbors just once—in April of this year, when Juventus already had the title all but wrapped up.

After Wednesday's result, Juventus have now won 12 of the last 14 games between the teams. Based on the composition of the two squads, it's tough to see when that trend will turn around.