Juve-Monza 0-2, goals from Ciurria and Mota

From Monza to Monza, Juventus is still defeated. As in the first leg, Allegri’s team is in fact forced to raise the white flag, this time at home. To sign the 2-0 in favor of the Brianza this time are Ciurria and Mota, against a Juve that once again connects to the match only for one half. In the circumstance in the second 45′, too late, despite the grafts at that point of all the offensive arsenal at his disposal (Vlahovic, Di Maria, Milik and also Soulé and Iling) and relative forcing in which Di Gregorio performs miracles in series, before the muscle injury that knocked out the Pole in the 80th minute. A bloody defeat for Juve, who see themselves overtaken in the standings by Monza himself, as well as by Bologna, awaiting the result of Fiorentina.

Present&absent

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Juve with the lights off: never on, never a flicker, Di Maria not received. Not to mention Paredes, who loses the remote confrontation with Rovella, Juventus on loan at Monza. These are not the best conditions for a Juve who have just won a point in their last two games, with 8 goals conceded. But the snapshot of the first half is this, with Juve down by two goals because ex Palladino’s Monza did more and did better. Football is a simple thing, to quote Allegri, and so it went. In front of the eyes of Vlahovic and Pogba recovered for the bench, of the returning De Sciglio deployed from 1 ‘as fifth in midfield, and of Cuadrado and Chiesa instead in the stands due to minor ailments. Locatelli and Alex Sandro are among the second lines for technical choice, trust in Fagioli and Gatti. Palladino instead places Machin and Caprari behind former Juventus U23 Mota, but once again the key is Ciurria, tireless and lucid pendulum on the right.

Ciurria-Mota, and Monza goes

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The first shot of the match bears the signature of Kean, who after 14′ misses a little on Fagioli’s break. But it remains an isolated acute, for the rest it is the Monza dribble that puts the match to sleep, with Juve unable or unwilling to raise the pace, but still remaining at the mercy of the match that Monza dictates with certainty. In the 10th minute Caprari overtook Szczesny but the Var detected an offside and the goal was not validated. However, Ciurria took care of it in the 18th minute to invent the Brianza advantage, with a right footed shot under the crossbar from close range. The Bianconeri lack aggressiveness and personality, Monza certainly doesn’t lack initiative and clarity of ideas. Allegri advances Di Maria’s position, but this doesn’t change the center of gravity of the match either, also because Kean goes around in circles and no teammate serves him in depth. In the 39th minute the Brianza doubles, at the height of a beautiful action: Carlos Augusto strikes between three opponents and places a perfect ball on Mota’s feet who lengthens his stride and practically reaches goal with ball and chain. A great lesson, for a Juve that is not only down by two goals, but is mercilessly taken from an enfilade revealing all its fragility.

Turn in midfield and Juve blaze

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The second half opens with a turnaround in midfield: Allegri changes three-fifths, recalling Fagioli, Paredes and Kostic and inserting Soulé, Locatelli and Illing Junior. Juve therefore changes its structure: now it has a back four with De Sciglio on the left and Danilo on the right. After about ten minutes Kean gives way to Milik. Di Gregorio stops a central conclusion from Rabiot, but above all two stones from Locatelli and Milik. Juve is finally on the field: the new entries have grafted a new spirit, and Allegri also inserts Vlahovic in the 65th minute, replacing De Sciglio. In the meantime, Palladino has refreshed his team by sending Sensi, Marlon and Petagna onto the field, for what promises to be an incandescent final. Kean aside, all the forwards are on the field in Juve, and also a non-existent competitive anger in the first half. Di Gregorio is still decisive in the 75th minute with a left-footed shot from outside Di Maria, in the 78th minute Bremer scores with a header but from an offside position (touching a ball that probably would have slipped into the net, at that point regular), while Milik accuses a muscle injury to his left thigh and has to leave the field. Finished changes, Juve remain in ten. And even the Juventus flame goes out, handing the match to a Monza now ahead of Juve even in the standings.