Juventus have taken a comfortable 3-1 lead into the halfway stage of their Serie A clash with Sampdoria this evening.
The hosts almost took the lead after just two minutes when Kwadwo Asamoah received the ball inside the box, but he was unable to beat Angelo Da Costa with his low effort.
Carlos Tevez then came close to breaking the deadlock with a fine solo effort as he weaved his way past a number of tackles only to put his eventual shot over the bar.
They wouldn't have to wait much longer for the opener, however, as four minutes later Paul Pogba found Arturo Vidal, who in turn found the bottom right corner with a well-placed finish from inside the area.
Juventus doubled their lead in the 24th minute when Fernando Llorente showed his aerial prowess by rising highest in the box to nod a corner past Da Costa.
Sampdoria almost responded immediately by reducing the deficit back to one, but Gianluigi Buffon was on form to deny Manolo Gabbiadini's strike from the edge of the area.
The visitors did get a goal with just over five minutes to go until half time as Andrea Barzagli inadvertently turned the ball into his own net to give Sampdoria hope.
Juventus quickly restored their two-goal cushion, however, as Vasco Regini conceded a penalty in the 41st minute that Vidal tucked away in the top left corner for his second of the game.
Barney Corkhill
