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MELBOURNE, July 26 (Xinhua) -- An early brace from Italian Serie A champions Juventus has helped seal a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in their International Champions Cup (ICC) clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Tuesday night.
Early goals from man of the match Paulo Dybala and Medhi Benatia were enough for Juventus to secure the three points, as they held off a frantic late surge from the north Londoners in a tense final 10 minutes of play.
The Argentinian young gun Dybala opened the account for Juventus just six minutes into the match, after an understrength Spurs back four coughed up the ball. A quick counter attack from Roberto Pereya allowed Dybala to get open on the flank, and he fired a rocket past Spurs goalkeeper Michel Vorm.
It didn't take long for the reigning Serie A champion to double its lead; another poor defensive effort from Tottenham on the 15th minute mark gifted Juventus a free ball into the box; an unmarked Benatia got on the end of a beautiful Miralem Pjanic curler to make it 2-0.
Spurs managed to awaken the crowd halfway through the second half; new signing Victor Wanyama pounced on a complacent Hernanes in the middle of the pitch and flicked a clever ball through to Erik Lamela who cut the lead back to one with just under half an hour to play.
Minutes later the match was almost turned on its head when a quick restart from a free kick gave Spurs a golden opportunity, but the first-time shot from the dangerous Lamela was parried neatly by Juventus keeper Neto.
In added time, Spurs had one last opportunity to clinch a point when Lamela flicked a neat through ball through to Shayon Harrison, however Neto was too good -- his late-match heroics invariably sealing the three points for the Italian champs.
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri said his side established a good lead early in the match, but following a number of substitutions in the second half, Juventus allowed the English side to claw its way back into the match.
Overall he said it was a "good experience" for his young players to face pressure on the world stage.
"It was a good test, for the first hour we played well but the last 30 minutes was a bit difficult," Allegri told the press following the victory.
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino said a couple of early mistakes might have cost his team the win, but the way his young side fought back into the match was a positive to take out of the match.
"There were positive signs in the way that the team reacted after such a poor start," Pochettino said.
"It was tough from the beginning, after 15 minutes being 2-0 down was difficult. We had a lot of young players playing.
"(But) it was a great experience for us. Lots of things to learn and lots of positives. I'm very pleased with our young players."
Tottenham gets a chance to redeem itself on Friday, when it takes on Spanish giants Atletico Madrid at the MCG.
