Juventus vs. AC Milan: Score and Reaction from 2017 Italian Coppa Italia
Juventus are through to the semi-finals of the 2016-17 Coppa Italia after they beat AC Milan 2-1 in a pulsating game at the Juventus Stadium on Wednesday.
The hosts got off to the perfect start when Paulo Dybala struck home a stunning right-foot volley after 10 minutes before Miralem Pjanic doubled their advantage with a wonderful free-kick.
In the second period, an evening of special strikes continued as Carlos Bacca's excellent snap shot gave the visitors a route back into the game. However, Manuel Locatelli's red card for a poor tackle on Dybala was a major setback for Milan.
Juventus will play Napoli in the semi-final after the Partenopei beat Fiorentina 1-0 on Tuesday.
Given their formidable home record, it was no surprise to see Juventus on the front foot from the off. By contrast, Milan, who conceded two early goals against Napoli at the weekend, were a little indecisive in the way they approached this quarter-final.
Eventually, the hesitancy manifested in defence, and Dybala made them pay. A cross into the box was deflected into the air by Juan Cuadrado, and the Juve forward latched on to the dropping ball brilliantly, volleying home with his weaker right foot from the edge of the area.
Per football journalist Jack Rathborn, the technique on the strike from the Argentina international was marvellous:
From then, Juventus started to turn the screw, with the attacking trio of Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Gonzalo Higuain causing many problems in the final third.
It was another moment of huge quality that put Juve into a two-goal lead after 21 minutes, with Pjanic showing all of his expertise when standing over a dead ball. From the corner of the box, he whipped a right-footed shot over the wall beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma.
With 70 minutes remaining, Milan were already facing an uphill struggle. Per the MilanMania Twitter account, the scenario is becoming an all-too-familiar one for Vincenzo Montella's side:
Juventus thought they'd extended their lead before the break through Sami Khedira, although he was correctly adjudged to be offside after turning home Higuain's parried shot. Nevertheless, the Bianconceri could be pleased with their efforts in the first period.
In the second half, there was a renewed purpose about Milan, and thanks to Bacca, they were quickly back in the contest—and in some style.
With the ball dropping over his shoulder on the edge of the box, the Colombia international struck his shot on the turn, on the volley, with his back to goal, leaving Neto stranded. However, within seconds of that boost, their chances suffered another blow as Locatelli was given his marching orders for a late tackle on Dybala.
Per Matteo Bonetti of beIN Sports, the 19-year-old could have no complaints about the decision:
As expected, Juventus took control of the contest again initially, with Mandzukic failing to hit the target with his head when well-placed on two occasions. With the clock ticking down, Donnarumma then did superbly to keep his team in the game, tipping over Pjanic's volley.
Milan continued to pose a threat, though. They introduced Gerard Deulofeu, on loan from Everton, for his debut, and he had a superb chance to equalise late on for the visitors after wriggling free in the left channel. However, he could only shoot tamely at Neto from the corner of the six-yard box.
Juve's early blitz was ultimately enough for them to progress, and just as Milan began to build a head of steam in the second period, it was sapped by Locatelli's rashness.
The Italian champions have played better this term, although manager Massimiliano Allegri will be delighted to see his side into the last four.
Milan again showcased plenty of determination after falling behind and could have easily taken the tie to extra time. However, Montella must solve the perennial problem of slow starts if his team are to continue their encouraging development.
Post-Match Reaction
After the game, Allegri admitted he was unhappy with the way Juventus managed the contest after Milan went down to 10 men.
"At the end, it was 10 against 11. It's true. But with four strikers, we were all on the same line, and the extra man didn't make a difference tactically," he told Rai Sport (h/t Football Italia).
"The extra man advantage was annulled, and we annulled it. We misplaced too many passes because we went too deep."
Pjanic also suggested Juventus were too wasteful with the opportunities they created. "If we had made it 3-0, the game would've been over, but we wasted too many scoring opportunities," he told Rai Sport (h/t Football Italia). "Juve were the better team this evening and could've made it easier for ourselves. Milan have a lot of quality too, but we deserved it."
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