Juventus vs. AC Milan: Score, Reaction from 2016 Italian Super Cup Final
AC Milan shocked Juventus in the 2016 Italian Super Cup in Doha, Qatar, on Friday, beating the Serie A champions on penalties. The match ended with a score of 1-1, and the Rossoneri won the shootout 4-3.
Giorgio Chiellini gave the Bianconeri an early lead, but Giacomo Bonaventura tied things up before half-time.
Both teams had their moments in the second half, although Milan gradually took the upper hand. Neither team would score again in regulation, and penalties eventually decided the winner. Gianluigi Donnarumma stopped Paulo Dybala's effort, and Mario Pasalic fired his team to the title.
As Juventus' official Twitter account shared, star forward Dybala started on the bench, with the Argentinian still looking for his best form after a lengthy absence due to injury:
Star goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon reached an incredible milestone on Friday:
Milan kept Gianluca Lapadula on the bench, with an out-of-form Carlos Bacca starting in his place:
Juventus got off to a quick start, as Stefano Sturaro had a shot blocked, and it took just minutes for Milan to voice their displeasure with the official. Chiellini tripped up Bacca, who was rightly frustrated when he wasn't awarded a free-kick.
Miralem Pjanic and Gonzalo Higuain combined to give the latter a shooting chance, with Donnarumma making a fine save, before it was Juventus' turn to complain about the officiating. Pjanic was run over on the edge of the box while in the process of shooting, but once again, the referee didn't budge.
The Bianconeri continued their solid start, and Mario Mandzukic put Donnarumma to work with a hard shot.
Sturaro put pressure on Donnarumma with an ambitious slide, and the midfielder forced a difficult clearance, with the ball eventually landing with Higuain. Gabriel Paletta pulled down the Argentinian, giving Pjanic a free-kick from a great position. The Bosnian hit the wall, however.
Donnarumma made another massive save after 17 minutes, as Higuain played in Sturaro after a quick counter. Pjanic delivered a perfect delivery from the resulting corner, however, and Chiellini poked the ball home.
Injured team-mate Leonardo Bonucci loved it:
Milan tried to respond through Suso, who curled a great shot just past the far post, but Buffon covered his angles.
Things got a little heated when Mandzukic and Paletta had words, and Pjanic caught Andrea Bertolacci immediately after; the foul should have warranted a card. Alex Sandro entertained the crowd with a fantastic nutmeg on Suso, prompting this tweet from David Amoyal, a writer for Gianlucadimarzio.com:
Unfortunately for the Bianconeri, the Brazilian limped off the pitch with an injury in the first half, with Patrice Evra replacing him.
Juraj Kucka beat Daniele Rugani to a high cross but couldn't direct a tame header past Buffon, with the first half drawing to a close. Milan didn't have many chances, but their high press led to one or two issues in the Juventus defence, and Bonaventura took full advantage.
The midfielder easily beat Buffon with a header after a fine cross from Suso, who is quickly becoming a favourite of BT Sport's Adam Summerton:
There was still time for Sturaro to almost put Juventus back in front, but he couldn't connect with a great cross from Mandzukic. Some late pressure from the Bianconeri led to a few half-chances but no more goals.
The Bianconeri started the second half on the front foot, with Milan aiming for the counter. Bacca and Bertolacci couldn't make the most of their looks on goal, as the Rossoneri started to find some success with crosses.
On the other side of the pitch, Higuain tried to surprise Donnarumma with a shot from a difficult angle, but the ball flew wide and the youngster had it covered.
Chiellini blocked a shot from Suso, and the resulting corner saw Alessio Romagnoli hit the crossbar with a difficult header. Milan seized momentum, but Juventus almost shocked the Rossoneri, with Sami Khedira drawing a fantastic save from Donnarumma.
Vince Van Genechten of Het Nieuwsblad was impressed:
Bacca came close to scoring, as he missed a cross from Kucka in front of goal. Juventus needed a spark, and with the crowd chanting Dybala's name, manager Massimiliano Allegri introduced the starlet midway through the second half.
Sturaro almost bundled home after a good cross from Evra, and Higuain and Dybala put together a fine combination, nearly isolating Mandzukic in front of goal. Dybala transformed the Juventus attack, and the former Palermo man almost gave his team the lead with a hard strike that barely missed the target.
The 23-year-old drew another fine save from Donnarumma, who once again showed why he's considered the best young goalkeeper in the world. Veteran stopper Buffon showed he's still an elite option as well, however, making a superb reflex save to deny Bacca.
Milan mounted a late offensive, but chances were few. Bacca was left unmarked inside the box, but he couldn't get enough of the ball to head home a high cross.
The Rossoneri appeared the fresher team heading into extra time, and somehow Milan didn't take an early lead in the first period. Buffon made a great save on Bonaventura, but the rebound fell kindly to Bacca, who couldn't work the ball past Chiellini. Football Italia couldn't believe it:
Suso kept finding success against Evra, but chances were few. Higuain tried to work his way past three defenders before going down in the box, but there appeared to be minimal contact, and the official didn't award a penalty.
Higuain drew a save from Donnarumma early in the second half, but both teams were tiring, and the pace of the match dropped sharply. Evra thought he had scored a late go-ahead goal, but he was correctly flagged down for offside. Dybala also went close, and perhaps he should have scored after good work from Evra.
Claudio Marchisio opened the shootout with a fantastic strike into the top corner, and Buffon denied Lapadula to give Juventus the perfect start. Mandzukic hit the crossbar, and Bonaventura tied things up.
Higuain, Kucka, Khedira and Suso all scored, before Donnarumma saved Dybala's strike. Then Chelsea loanee Pasalic stepped up to the plate and delivered, handing Milan revenge for the loss in the Coppa Italia final.
Speaking to Rai Sport (h/t Football Italia), Allegri thought his team should have done better on Friday:
"We did everything to avoid penalties. After the goal we got a bit too deep and passed it backwards, so that changed the game.
If this had been a Serie A game, it would’ve been decided by an incident. As it’s the Super Cup, it was decided on penalties.
We’ve had many matches this season and fatigue can cause problems. I was forced into two substitutions, unfortunately.
"
Milan manager Vincenzo Montella told Rai Sport (h/t Football Italia) the result was the correct one:
"It’s a nice feeling to win. The lads have to see this as a good starting point for the future, as we played on a par with a great side like Juventus.
I am very happy for President Silvio Berlusconi, as we know how much he cared about this trophy and we dedicate it to him.
In the first 20 minutes we weren’t our usual selves, but we shrugged off the tension and slowly improved as the game wore on. We created many chances and deserved to win in 90 minutes.
"
Juventus and Milan will now enjoy their winter break, as Serie A resumes action on January 7.
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