After a week in which Milan has beaten both Napoli and Juventus, the race for the scudetto seems less defined by whether their Milano rivals will recover in time than whether any team can break an increasingly impenetrable defense. For the second match in a row, goalkeeper Christian Abbiati went untested, allowing Gennaro Gattuso’s 68th minute goal to decide Saturday’s match against Juventus. The result vaulted Milan eight points ahead of Inter Milan while keeping Juventus seven points adrift of fourth.
Juventus Vs. AC Milan, Match Report: Gennaro Gattuso On Target As Milan Stifles Juve
An evenly contested first half saw neither team meaningfully test the other's goalkeeper. Gianluigi Buffon was given the biggest scare, with Antonio Cassano nearly the beneficiary of good work my Marek Jankulovski. The left back picked up an attempted clearance early in the half and created space for Cassano before the forward put his shot over the Juventus goal.
At the other end of the pitch, Juventus never threatened Christian Abbiati, all of their counter attacks destroyed before their `keeper could be questioned. While that dynamic led Mark van Bommel to accumulate five fouls and a yellow card in the first 45 minutes, it still kept Juventus from troubling Abbiati.
Still, it was Milan that went into intermission with more to build on. After an initial 15 minutes that saw Juventus with as much of the play as their guests, the Rossoneri settled into a match that was played predominantly in Juve’s half. Milan held more possession and became increasingly patient with it. Juventus had trouble getting the ball out of their own half, Milan’s pressure troubling the Bianconeri.
The second half started with Milan bringing on Robinho for Kevin-Prince Boateng, the Ghanaian midfielder having been kicking in the ankle in the first half, the follow-through of a Felipe Melo attempt on goal. The change gave Milan a lineup they are slightly more accustomed to, with Robinho taking part of a three-pronged attack.
But it was another adjustment that paid quicker dividends for Maximiliano Allegri. Minutes into the half, Ignazio Abate was seen getting forward from right back with more aggression than he had in the first. This led to an early chance for Mathieu Flamini, coming in at the far post, although his header was bounced straight to Buffon.
Moments later, Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave Juventus their second scare of the match. On a direct kick 35 yards from goal, Zlatan put his laces on a shot that started as if to go six feet wide of the right post. The hard hit shot then cut in toward Buffon, finishing six feet inside the post. The shot forced Buffon to lay-out for the save, one he made comfortably.
Just past the hour mark, Luigi Delneri made his first change, a like-for-like. Luca Toni had a poor match, never providing the hold-up play the counter-dependent Old Lady desperately needed. Vincenzo Iaquinta, still recovering from his time out of the team, was brought-on.
Minutes later, in the 68th minute, an unlikely goal scorer broke the deadlock. On a ball played in from the left flank, Gennaro Gattuso came from the right of goal, just outside the area, to trap a ball inside the arc. With his left foot, the captain struck a bouncing ball toward the right post. The shot fond Buffon’s hands but still had enough to hit the net, giving Milan their first lead of the season over Juventus.
In the moments after the goal, the coaches made adjustments, preparing for protecting and chasing postures for the last 20 minutes. Clarence Seedorf came on for Antonio Cassano near the 70-minute mark, and with the change came the resumption of Milan’s long spells of possession - used in the first half to settle the match, in the second to see it out.
Within 10 minutes, Alessandro Matri was off for Alessandro del Piero, though it did little to help. Juventus’s inability to respond in the moments after the Gattuso goal had ceded control of the match.
The last beats of life left Juventus when a penalty shout was ignored in the 90th minute, Giorgio Chiellini desperately appealing to Nicola Pizzoli. After four minutes of stoppage time, the whistle blew, with Milan holding their opponent without a shot on goal, just as they'd gone on Monday. For the moment, Milan went eight points clear at the top of the league, and with a tough week of fixtures behind them, the idea of holding off Inter - dethroning the five-time champions - seemed less fancy than probable.
For Juventus, the headlines will concentrate on Luigi Delneri’s future. By Monday, Juve could be 10 points out of fourth place. They’ve lost three in a row, haven’t scored in 330 minutes, and could still be passed by Palermo (amongst others) for a European spot. With the Russian Premier League about to start, many will wonder if it’s the right time to bring in a different ex-Roma coach.
See More:
