Published27. April 2024, 9:30 p.m.
Football: Juventus and AC Milan neutralize each other in the duel of the disappointed
The shock of the 34th day of Serie A resulted in a tasteless draw (0-0). The result suits Milan, less so Juventus.
Rafael Leao (left) and Gleison Bremer in the duel on Saturday, during the clash between Juventus Turin and AC Milan.
Juventus Turin and AC Milan – outclassed this season by Inter Milan, already crowned champion – did not manage to decide between themselves (0-0) on Saturday during the poster for the 34th day of the Italian Championship.
Juve created the clearest opportunities, notably on a free kick from Dusan Vlahovic (45th + 2) and a double opportunity from Filip Kostic and Danilo (50th). But she came up against AC Milan goalkeeper Marco Sportiello, starting to replace Mike Maignan who felt pain in his adductor muscles during the warm-up. His teammate in the French team, Olivier Giroud, left his teammates in the 71st minute after receiving a blow to his knee. He was replaced by Noah Okafor.
AC Milan, who remained on a 2-1 defeat on Monday in the “Milano derby” synonymous with Inter’s 20th league title, never worried the Juve goalkeeper.
Pioli and Allegri in the hot seat
This loser, however, does his business. 2nd with 16 points ahead of 6th place, the Rossoneri are almost guaranteed to punch their ticket for the next Champions League.
“My team reacted well, with a good state of mind and a lot of desire, even if there were things we could do better. We keep our lead over a good Juve team, it’s a positive result for us,” analyzed Stefano Pioli. “This group has the potential to do well,” added the AC Milan coach, who should be fired at the end of the season after failures in the Champions League and then in the Europa League.
Juve can still tremble after this fourth consecutive draw: its place on the podium (3rd, 65 points) is only three points away. She can see Bologna (4th, 62 points) return to its height on Sunday, or even Atalanta (6th, 54 points) by the end of the season. “We created a lot of chances, we lacked realism,” summarized Massimiliano Allegri.
The Italian coach is not guaranteed to still be in charge of Juve next season, even if his team were to win the Italian Cup on May 15 against Atalanta. “I’m just thinking about the end of the season, I’m happy with our season,” he said.
On Sunday, Yann Sommer’s Inter – leader with 16 points ahead of AC Milan – hosts Torino and will immediately celebrate their championship title with a parade in the streets of Milan.
(afp)