Andrea Pirlo got his coaching career off to a winning start as Juventus began their quest for a 10th successive Serie A title with a 3-0 win over Sampdoria on Sunday.
Dejan Kulusevski, signed from Atalanta, scored on his debut in the 13th minute with only his sixth touch of the ball in a Juventus shirt before defender Leonardo Bonucci and Cristiano Ronaldo added to the scoreboard in the last 15 minutes.
Former Milan and Juventus midfielder Pirlo had no senior coaching experience before he was surprisingly chosen to replace Maurizio Sarri in August, and only got his coaching badge last week.
His first match pitted him against one of Serie A's most experienced and wily characters, 68-year-old Claudio Ranieri.
United States midfielder Weston McKennie, signed from Schalke, made his Juventus debut and Gianluca Frabotta made only his second appearance as Pirlo reshuffled the starting XI.
Like Sunday's other top-flight matches, a smattering of fans watched the game after the Italian government authorised up to 1,000 spectators at matches for the first time since March.
The supporters had to wear masks and follow social distancing regulations, while they also had their temperature checked upon entering the stadium.
Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne helped Napoli to a 2-0 win at Parma earlier in the day in a match that marked the return of fans to Serie A stadiums.
After a dull first half, the intensity increased after the break and Napoli were further transformed when new signing Victor Osimhen was brought on in the 61st minute.
The forward was involved in the opener two minutes later when he pressured Parma's Simone Iacoponi in the penalty area.
That caused the defender to head Hirving Lozano's cross straight at Mertens who drilled it into the bottom right corner.
Osimhen almost helped Napoli double the lead moments later when his flick found Insigne, who hit the post.
Insigne did score in the 77th minute when he fired in a rebound from close range.
Meanwhile, Genoa, who narrowly escaped relegation last season, made a flying start under new coach Rolando Maran as they thumped promoted Crotone 4-1.
Sassuolo midfielder Mehdi Bourabia curled in an 87th-minute free kick to salvage a 1-1 draw at home to Cagliari, who were playing their first match under former Roma coach Eusebio Di Francesco.
Australian Associated Press
