Good first match for Conceiçao, who will meet his former team in the final. Yildiz gives the Bianconeri the lead, the Rossoneri equalize with a Pulisic penalty awarded by the former Sassuolo midfielder and an own goal by the Juventus defender
Someone up there loves Conceiçao’s Milan. The second semi-final of the Super Cup is a slow and ugly passage until 11.30pm in Riyadh, when Juve has the match in hand, Kenan Yildiz seems like the boy ready to challenge Inter and Milan are desolately stopped within a shot by Reijnders. Two episodes then change the fate of a match and, who knows, of a team. First Locatelli unfortunately crashes into Pulisic, giving away a penalty that Captain America puts into the goal. Then Gatti deflects Musah’s cross into his own goal for an old football own goal. It’s the turnaround: Milan-Juve ends 2-1, in the final Riad will be an Arab Milan and the big accused of the next 24 hours will be Thiago Motta.
the controversies
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The discussions will revolve around the changes. Thiago removed Vlahovic after 65 minutes and with him Mbangula, one of the best. With 10 minutes to go, down 2-1, he tried with Douglas Luiz, Weah and Fagioli, plus Cambiaso and Nico Gonzalez who entered first. Nothing. The final Juve was worse than the initial one and this will be debated. Even if Vlahovic had been the worst of the Bianconeri. Even if the game is based on two sensationally fortuitous episodes.
a time of yildiz
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The rest of the match was strange. Thiago Motta surprised by fielding Mbangula on the left and, when Francisco Conceiçao was injured in the warm-up, he gave a starting shirt to Yildiz, theoretically out of role: not on the left, not in the middle but on the right, to complete the seasonal hat trick. Perfect because, in the first half between the ugly and the horrendous, Kenan provided the only emotions. Meanwhile, Juve’s opening goal, after 21 minutes. Mbangula closes in from the left, Emerson Royal follows him discreetly – I’m behind you, but I won’t disturb you – and lets him play the through ball for Yildiz. That ball would be from Theo Hernandez, who however lets Kenan pass behind him. A disaster. Yildiz thanks him and puts it with a strong right foot near the crossroads. To confirm that old story: the Turk always scores on his debut as a starter. He did it in the league, in the Champions League, in the Italian Cup, in the national team, now in the Super Cup. Ah, the second pre-interval emotion is also his. Yildiz latches on to Di Gregorio’s relaunch in injury time, comes in from the right and kicks with his left foot. Maignan, without worrying too much, rejects.
once from Milan
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However, emotions, like life in Riad, arrive at night. Yildiz starts the second half with a shot just wide and another great cross, which Vlahovic deflects into the back. It all seems done, Juve dominant and Kenan the cover man, when Locatelli puts Milan back in the game with the penalty foul. An unassuming pass finds Theo wide on the left, Savona stops him with a nice play but Loca doesn’t see Pulisic and gives him a penalty. Captain America kicks hard and equalizes: 1-1. At that point, the stars align. Morata first comes close to making it 2-1 (but he extends the ball too much), then he sends Musah deep, who doesn’t even look at the goal: he crosses in the middle, with his right foot, and whatever happens. Gatti, one of the best, deflects towards his goal, left free by Di Gregorio, who advanced to close the trajectory in the center.
cage in the finale
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Riyadh’s evening changes here. Pulisic could score the 3-1 on the counterattack but abstains, then Maignan saves Koopmeiners and in the 95th minute everything seems to be written. Juve has one last chance, when injury time would have already ended, but Gatti’s shot ends up on the body of Gabbia, who came in to defend the result. If this is not destiny, destiny does not exist. Conceiçao goes to the final for the Lazio duel against Simone Inzaghi. They made their Serie A debut on the same day, in the same match, and Milan now believe in it. He saw that Rafa Leao, who scored the 2-1 goal, ran to celebrate. Consider it a warm-up for Monday.
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