Monaco vs Juventus match report: Juventus reach Champions League semi-final after shutting up shop in Monaco
Monaco 0 Juventus 0 (agg: 0-1) Kondogbia drives on Monaco but Juventus hold firm to reach first semi-final in 12 years
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Your support makes all the difference.A trademark display of grit and resilience earned Juventus a goalless draw at Monaco as the Italian side qualified for the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2003 with a 1-0 aggregate victory last night.
However, Juve, the first Italian team to reach the last four of Europe’s premier club competition since Internazionale in 2010, were under the cosh throughout. But they held firm against a Monaco side, who lacked the experience and cutting edge to overturn Arturo Vidal’s penalty winner from the first leg.
The hosts, who had eliminated Arsenal in the previous round, dominated possession and Geoffrey Kondogbia was a big influence in midfield but Leonardo Jardim’s side lacked the guile to penetrate Juve’s massed defensive ranks.
It was a case of youth versus experience as Juventus’s Andrea Pirlo and Patrice Evra had 30 more Champions League appearances than the whole of the home side’s starting XI.
Giorgio Chiellini was booked in the opening minute when he handled the ball to prevent Joao Moutinho from breaking forward, after he had slipped in the middle of his own half. The hosts were unable to trouble Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon with the resulting free-kick but it was not long before they were on the attack again.
Monaco were well on top and Kondogbia hit a fierce 20-metre shot that flew just over the bar.
Andrea Barzagli then came close to turning the ball into the back of his own net in the 15th minute after playmaker Bernardo Silva sent a dangerous cross in from the right of the box, with the Juve defender prodding narrowly wide of Buffon’s near post from close range. Kondogbia continued to shine in midfield and had another chance but shot straight at Buffon.
Juventus came to life as the game wore on and Monaco tired, and they nearly found a way through when Pirlo’s pass almost released Stephan Lichtsteiner on the edge of the box before Danijel Subasic snatched the chance away from him.
The visitors looked increasingly fragile on the left side of their defence and Chilean midfielder Vidal was lucky not to concede a penalty when he appeared to bring Kondogbia down in the box, but Scottish referee William Collum waved play on.
Jardim replaced midfielder Jérémy Toulalan with Dimitar Berbatov at half-time and added fresh blood up front by switching Anthony Martial with Valère Germain 14 minutes from time, but it failed to unsettle Juventus.
Pirlo could have scored a late winner for Massimiliano Allegri’s side in time added on when he sent a thumping free-kick towards goal from 30 yards, but his effort clipped the post.
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