Del Piero rocket sees Juve scrape past Zenit

JUVENTUS marked their return to the Champions League after a two-year absence with a hard-fought 1-0 Group H victory over UEFA Cup holders Zenit St Petersburg last night.

There was little to choose between the two sides until veteran Italy forward Alessandro Del Piero’s swerving 30-yard freekick deceived goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev.

Juve coach Claudio Ranieri showed off his team’s attacking strength in depth by restoring Del Piero and David Trezeguet to the starting line up at the expense of Amauri and Vincenzo Iaquinta, who had started at the weekend against Udinese.