From Manchester to Muntari Milan-Juve, a timeless challenge

On Sunday a classic that dates back to 1901 is played and in Serie A it has been disputed 205 times disputed Scudettos, sporting rivalries and corporate alliances, winning cycles and fiery controversies

History

Torino

Milan is up there, at -2 at the top, yet sad for the missed overtaking and the very occasion thrown away with Spezia. Juve are recovering, but are struggling to smile: they are still bivouacs outside the Champions League area and leaders Inter are far away, they have 9 points more and one game less. Never mind, the charm of the match that will be played on Sunday remains intact. No state of mind could scratch it: it is inherent in the challenge itself, in the pages of a very long novel, in a rivalry that has its roots in a kick of mud, lumpy balls and stringers made of ropes.

The first official match dates back to April 28, 1901, the semifinal of the federal championship in Piazza d’Armi in Turin, a victory for Milan who will then beat Genoa, snatching the Scudetto from them for the first time, the Juventus players still dressed in pink. The two teams had already crossed paths in a friendly match, the first time on 22 April 1900 at the Trotter stadium in Milan, but the epic begins with Negretti’s brace and Kilpin’s goal that inaugurate a saga of goals, emotions and poisons. . Since then, 205 matches in Serie A, no match has had so many reruns, and the rewind mixes sports duels and corporate alliances, magic and mistakes capable of leaving deep traces on the championship roll.

In 1950, in Turin, under the snow, in the first game that the TV broadcasts on an experimental basis, the Milan of Gren, Nordhal and Liedholm, trimmed a sensational 7-1 to leaders Juve, reaching only one point, but the overtaking will remain an illusion canceled by the black and white scudetto. In 1971 reversed parts, Juventus 4-1 at San Siro, Bettega scores from the heel and Nereo Rocco literally takes off his hat, but the real revenge in the score comes perhaps in 1997 when Lippi’s Juve, always away, devours (6 -1) Sacchi’s Milan. It is the dawn of the Berlusconi era, the sporting rivalry intensifies but the economic alliance becomes closer, the teams climb the top and the clubs share the project of a football that remains romantic but embraces business. The apotheosis is the Champions League final in Manchester, Italy on the roof of Europe, Ancelotti against Lippi, a 120 ‘long challenge and the dream entrusted to penalty kicks: Dida and Buffon are the protagonists, but Gigi hypnotizes only Kaladze and Seedorf, the Brazilian instead intercepts the shots of Trezeguet, Zalayeta and Montero, so when Shevchenko throws in the goal from the spot, Milan grabs the cup. Formidable years, overlapping cycles, hard contests, photofinish. In 2005 Juve stretched their hands on the title, which was then revoked, winning 1-0 at the San Siro: the goal was by Trezeguet but Del Piero’s wonderful acrobatic assist remains in the eye.

Milan won the title in 2011, after years of Inter domination, the following year, however, Juve prevailed, inaugurating the tale of the nine championships: the equal of San Siro was decisive, triggering endless controversies due to a ghost goal from Muntari , the referee deceived by Buffon’s rejection which actually occurred over the line. The Rossoneri are already in the lead, they would put the three points on ice, but the blunder is followed by a draw by Matri which will weigh heavily on the final verdict: “He could have changed history” Adriano Galliani sighs even today. That year, Allegri sat on the Rossoneri bench, now back in Turin to rebuild Juve, and Ibrahmonvic shone in attack, again Rossoneri after goals in Paris, Manchester and Los Angeles, the last stages of a career that took off in Juventus after the cradle Ajax: testimonies of sentimental intersections, of personal stories that intertwine with history, other points of interest for a timeless classic. –