Football returned to Italy after 3 months, where Juventus
met AC Milan at Turin in the second leg of the semifinal of Coppa Italia. The
match ended in a 0-0 draw, but still, the Italian Serie A Champions qualified
for the finals by virtue of away goals following their 1-1 draw in the first
leg of the semi-final, played on February 13.
It was a rather uninventive and dull affair where teams
lacked the intent and Juve looked a bit rusty.
Prior to kick-off, a minute's silence was held for those who
died from COVID-19, before a round of applause for the nation's health workers.
Milan had warmed up in 'Black Lives Matter' shirts, while Juve sported tops
saying 'No to Racism'.
Ante Rebic was sent off for kicking Juve’s Danilo on his
chest, forcing the AC Milan to play for more than 70 minutes with 10-men and
the Rossoneri greatly missed the services of veteran striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic
who was out with a calf injury.
Milan had only one real chance of upsetting the 2-time
Champions League winners when Hakan Calhanoglu was close with a diving header
early in the second half, otherwise, 7-time Champions League winners rarely
threatened to snatch the goal that would have taken them into the final.
Meanwhile, the best player in the world Cristiano Ronaldo
missed a golden opportunity to score from the penalty spot and make the return
a memorable one.
Juve were awarded a penalty after referee Daniele Orsato
reviewed video footage and deemed that Andrea Conti handled the ball in the
area.
Ronaldo fired his penalty towards the bottom left-hand
corner but it hit the post and bounced clear.
That miss did not prove costly for Juve.
It was the second penalty Ronaldo missed in two seasons at
the club.
After the match, Juve coach Maurizio Sarri said, “I asked
Ronaldo to take a more central role, he was pleased to try it out and he played
the game he needed to at this moment”.
“He probably isn't accustomed to missing a penalty, so
hitting the inside of the post, it could go anywhere and he was unlucky”.
“I don't think playing him a few meters more one way or
another is going to make a huge difference to such a strong player. Everyone
had a strong opening 30 minutes and then faded away.
“Clearly after three months, getting back to the touchline
and seeing the teams out there is a good sensation, even if it's not the same
without the fans”.
“I was very surprised and satisfied with our opening 30
minutes, as we moved the ball so quickly and totally dominated the game, even
before the red card”.
“After that, we slowly dropped our tempo, intensity, and
mental determination, but that is a risk in an empty stadium. We had been doing
so well, playing one and two-touch football, but then we slowed down and lost
some sharpness, focused more on individual moves and taking two touches”.
Cristiano Ronaldo will return in the Serie A which would
commence soon and it is expected, he would come out all guns blazing!
Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 13/06/2020 A moment which Cristiano Ronaldo would love to forget
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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