Juve slip to defeat against Milan  | OneFootball

Juve were eliminated from the EA SPORTS FC SUPERCUP as they fell to defeat against AC Milan, who came back from a goal down following Kenan Yildiz’s opener for Juve, scoring two goals in a hectic four-minute spell in the second half. Two goals to one the final score in Riyadh.

THE OPENING EXCHANGES

The match began at a slow pace as the teams probed one another whilst looking for weaknesses: Juve were well acquainted with Milan but not Sergio Conceicao's Milan, consequently the Rossoneri were a bit of an unknown under the guidance of their new coach, who had only arrived at the club two days ago.

Juve took the lead in the 20th minute: the move began with a perfect pass from Samuel Mbangula, who opened up the Milan defence with a fantastic ball to find Yildiz. Theo Hernandez slipped badly, leaving the Turkish forward in space to advance forward and unleash a powerful right-footed shot that beat Mike Maignan, putting the Bianconeri ahead and bringing the crowd to their feet in Riyadh.

CHANCES AT BOTH ENDS

Milan attempted to fight back, with Emerson Royal calling Michele Di Gregorio into action 5 minutes later with a cross that deflected dangerously off of Weston McKennie. Shortly after, in the 37th minute, Manuel Locatelli played Yildiz in behind, whose low cross was intercepted by the Rossoneri defence. Youssouf Fofana tried an effort from range again for the Rossoneri in the 44th minute, but his shot went wide.

YILDIZ IN THE THICK OF IT

At the end of the half, Yildiz went on his own in the 45th minute, cutting inside before firing a threatening shot goalwards. Maignan saved at full stretch to deny the Juve number 10 his second of the evening. Juventus were compact and aggressive, while Milan struggled to find rhythm and accuracy in attack.

A GOOD START TO THE SECOND HALF

The second half started with Juventus determined to double their lead and put the game to bed. It was a lightning start: in the 46th minute, Yildiz's effort hit the post, while a minute later he found Dusan Vlahovic with a perfect pass, but the striker was unable to convert. Milan remained a threat though: in the 48th minute Di Gregorio misjudged a corner kick, but Theo Hernandez unbelievably missed from close range. Juventus seemed to be in control, but Milan gradually grew into the game.

THE MOMENT OF MADNESS

After a hard-fought phase, Juve lost their rhythm in the 70th minute. Locatelli was naive in the box when he brought down Christian Pulisic: Referee Colombo awarded a penalty, which the American coolly converted. Shortly after, on the 75th minute, a Yunus Musah cross resulted in an unlucky own goal by Federico Gatti, who wrong-footed Michele Di Gregorio. In the space of just a few minutes, Milan had reversed their fortunes to make it 2-1.

THE FINAL PUSH

Thiago Motta tried to find an equaliser by making changes: Douglas Luiz and Nico Gonzalez tried to breathe new life into the midfield. In the 76th minute, Yildiz once again tried to find the back of the net, but his shot was blocked. In the closing stages, Juve pushed hard and came close to scoring through McKennie in the 84th minute, but the Rossoneri defence held firm. As time ran out, a final attempt by Gatti from a good position was sensationally blocked just seconds before the final whistle.

EASPORTS FC SUPERCUP | Juventus - Milan | Gallery

JUVENTUS 1-2 AC MILAN

Al-Awwal Park (Riyadh), Friday 3 January, 2025 at 20:00 (CET) Italian Supercoppa – Semi-Final

Goals: 21’ Yildiz (J), 71’ Pulisic (Pen.) (AC), 75’ Gatti (Own Goal) (AC)

Juventus: Di Gregorio, Savona, Gatti, Kalulu, McKennie (86’ Weah), Locatelli (86’ Fagioli), Thuram (79’ Douglas Luiz), Yildiz, Koopmeiners, Mbangula (65’ Cambiaso), Vlahovic (65’ Nico Gonzalez). Unused Substitutes: Perin, Conceicao, Adzic, Pinsoglio, Rouhi. Coach: Thiago Motta

AC Milan: Maignan, Emerson (82’ Gabbia), Tomori, Thiaw, Hernandez, Bennacer (54’ Musah), Fofana, Reijnders, Pulisic, Morata (82’ Terracciano), Jimenez (61’ Abraham). Unused Substitutes: Calabria, Jovic, Zeroli, Pavlovic, Bartesaghi, Vos, Sportiello, Traore, Camarda, Torriani. Coach: Sergio Conceicao.

Referee: Andrea Colombo Assistants: Giuseppe Perrotti, Pietro Dei Giudici Fourth Official: Giovanni Ayroldi

Bookings: 45+1’ McKennie (J), 79’ Emerson (AC), 82’ Pulisic (AC)

Next Match:

Torino-Juventus Serie A – Matchday 19 Saturday, 11 January, 2025 at 18:00 (CET) Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino