Monaco laid siege to Juventus, but the Bianconeri hit the woodwork with Andrea Pirlo and reached the Champions League semi-final.
Real Madrid beat 10-man Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the other semi-final. Click over to our sister site Football Espana for a full report.
Monaco laid siege to Juventus, but the Bianconeri hit the woodwork with Andrea Pirlo and reached the Champions League semi-final.
Real Madrid beat 10-man Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the other semi-final. Click over to our sister site Football Espana for a full report.
The Bianconeri had won the first leg 1-0 in Turin with a contentious Arturo Vidal penalty and this was their chance of reaching the semi-final for the first time in 12 years. Paul Pogba and Martin Caceres were still sidelined, but Vidal had recovered from tonsillitis and Andrea Barzagli’s return meant a switch to 3-5-2. Jeremy Toulalan missed the first leg, but he was back in the starting XI, though Ricardo Carvalho was ruled out and Nabil Dirar only fit for the bench.
It was a disastrous start for Giorgio Chiellini, who slipped and stopped a counter-attack with his hand, earning a yellow card after 45 seconds.
Geoffrey Kondogbia’s half-volley was off target as Juve were pinned back, then Barzagli put the ball out for a corner at the near post to terminate a fine Bernardo Silva passing move, risking an own goal.
Gigi Buffon smothered a powerful but central Kondogbia strike and Joao Moutinho blasted over, while Danijel Subasic plucked a dangerous Andrea Pirlo pass away from Stephan Lichtsteiner.
Chiellini risked a second yellow card for his challenge on Joao Moutinho’s ankle after 30 minutes. Layvin Kurzawa nodded over, then on 36 minutes Kondogbia tried to burst between Chiellini and Vidal, but strong penalty appeals were waved away as they sandwiched him.
Juve had only two real chances right before half-time when Carlos Tevez pounced on a defensive error, but Alvaro Morata, Lichtsteiner and Pirlo failed to make the most of it. Moments later Tevez was again in a shooting position, but the curler whistled off target. They were very brief sparks of life after only 38 per cent possession in the first half.
Dimitar Berbatov came on after the break in an even more attack-minded side. Bernardo Silva and Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco slipped in promising positions, then Patrice Evra hoofed clear after accidentally getting in Buffon’s way on a dangerous cross for Aymen Abdennour.
The ball fell kindly for Berbatov and Buffon rushed off the line to palm it off his feet, while at the other end Morata failed to make the most of an inspired Pirlo cross-field pass.
Berbatov would’ve been sent clear by a slide-rule assist, but Barzagli crucially intercepted. Juve actually went closest to scoring at the 89th minute, as a Pirlo free kick from 30 metres swerved to thump the outside of the post at the very top corner.
Monaco 0-0 Juventus (0-1 agg)
Monaco: Subasic; Fabinho, Raggi, Abdennour, Kurzawa; Joao Moutinho, Toulalan (Berbatov 46), Kondogbia; Bernardo Silva, Martial (Germain 76), Ferreira-Carrasco (Matheus Carvalho 87)
Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Vidal (Pereyra 77), Pirlo, Marchisio, Evra; Tevez, Morata (Llorente 68)
Ref: Collum (SCO)