Spalletti happy after Juve's first pre-season win
Luciano Spalletti believes Juventus is taking steps in the right direction after winning for the first time in pre-season.
Having drawn its first friendly 0-0 with Basel last week, Juventus earned a 1-0 victory over Standard Liege at Stade Maurice Dufrasne on Sunday (AEST).
A cagey first half saw one shot on target, with Vasilije Adzic testing Matthieu Epolo just four minutes into the game.
But 10 minutes into the second half, Fabio Miretti struck the winner. Andrea Cambiaso rolled a free-kick into his path, and the substitute rifled his shot into the roof of the net from the edge of the box.
Standard Liege had chances to equalise, with Pierre Kalulu sliding in to make a last-ditch block to deny Rayan Touzghar, while Bernard Nguene saw a late chance saved.
Justin Oboavwoduo was also denied by the goalkeeper at the other end, but Juventus had already done enough to clinch the win.
"The feeling is that they trained well and that we played well," Spalletti said. "The first half was a bit slow; we couldn't find the right rhythm and space.
"We did well in defence; [Federico] Gatti and [Lloyd] Kelly did well. In the second half, we had control of the game.
"We must continually make progress. The championship has already started; the others are always making progress.
"I'm happy with the performance, but there are still some things we need to improve. Then we have the opportunity to wait for important players who were busy at the [2026 FIFA] World Cup.
"Young players need to be allowed to play. We put those who were with us on the pitch. It's a good idea to keep them in mind: then it's up to them to show the quality we need at the highest levels."
One player not involved for Juventus was Lois Openda, who is set to join Lyon on loan for the 2026-2027 campaign.
Openda made 34 appearances for Juventus in all competitions, playing just 997 minutes while netting only two goals.
The Belgian joined Juventus on loan with an obligation to buy last September, and although the permanent deal has gone through, he will now head to the Ligue 1 side.
"First of all, let me sincerely wish Openda the best of luck for this new adventure he is about to embark on," Spalletti added, confirming the departure.
"He is a professional and an exceptional guy; we wish him all the best. We weren't able to make the most of him."
