Juventus start season with win

Underfire Juventus began the season with a 3-0 win over third division Martina Franca in the first round of the Italian Cup on Saturday.

Goals by Pavel Nedved and new signings Marco Marchionni and Valeri Bojinov gave the Turin giants a victory in their first competitive outing since they were relegated to the second division following a match-fixing trial.

In a twist of fate, the scene of their latest triumph was Bari's San Nicola stadium, the ground where they beat Reggina 2-0 in the final match of last season to win their 29th Serie A title, a trophy they had to concede to Inter Milan after the trial.

Still smarting from their failure earlier this week to persuade Italy's football federation to repeal their relegation to Serie B, Juventus made short work of Martina.

Midfielder Marchionni opened the scoring after seven minutes before long-range strikes by Bojinov and Nedved earned Juve a second-round meeting with Cesena.

Playing in the first round was a novelty for Juventus.

Italy's top clubs get a bye through the first three rounds before joining the competition at the last-16 stage.

In recent years Juve have routinely sent out second-string sides in the Cup, saving their best players for Serie A and the Champions League.

This year promises to be different.

Juve coach Didier Deschamps has identified the Cup, which guarantees a UEFA Cup place for the winner, as a way of accelerating the club's return to European competition.