Serie A: Juventus thrash Lazio once again

Antonio Conte's men defeated the Rome club 4-0 in the Supercoppa Italiana earlier this month, and looked set for a similarly comfortable outing when Arturo Vidal notched twice in the opening 26 minutes.

Miroslav Klose's goal gave the visitors hope of a turnaround before the break, but further strikes from Mirko Vucinic and Carlos Tevez ensured the reigning Serie A champions would cruise to the win.

Lazio had, in truth, played a more prominent role in the game than the scoreline suggested, and so there was a sense of justice when Klose got on the scoresheet two minutes after Vidal's second.

The goalmouth action somewhat calmed down after that goal, though Lazio went close on two occasions as Antonio Candreva's free-kick whistled past the post and Buffon had to be alert to keep out Hernanes' drive.

Lazio ended the first half undoubtedly on top, but just four minutes after the restart the hosts' two-goal advantage was restored.

And Lazio's task would become even more difficult on the hour mark as Hernanes, in a clear show of frustration, attempted to handle a cross from the left into the Juve goal and subsequently saw a deserved second yellow card.