Full-time: Monaco 0-0 Juventus (Agg: 0-1)
Monaco just did not have the class to break down Juve, who defended with aplomb. The Italians celebrate reaching the semi-final for the first time in 12 years!
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90+2 min: Freekick to Juve, by one of Monaco’s corner flags. They try to run down the clock by Monaco win a kick out. One last hurrah?
90+1 min: Three more minutes for Monaco to find their goal. Everyone sing along now ...
90 min: Freekick to Juve. Pirlo sizes it up from 32 yards. Can he produce a tribute to his hero, Juninho? Very nearly! He sends as ‘knuckleball’ wobbling over the ball ... and against the top off the crossbar, with the keeper bamboozled!
89 min: Monaco don’t look like finding the goal they need here. They just don’t have the ingenuity or precision to unpick the Juve defence. And their ideas, even their belief, appear to have run dry.
88 min: Monaco substitution: Monaco substitution: Carrasco off, M Carvahlo on.
86 min: Pereyra, who has been full of vim since his introduction, charges forward and into the corner, then wins a throw-in near the corner flag. And Juve have a cup of tea and natter before taking the throw.
85 min: Tevez booked for time-wasting, or backchat, or the look in his eye.
83 min: Subasic whacks the ball forward from the back as Monaco try to get forward quicker. But that’s meat, drink and dessert to the Juve defence, who’ve kept eight clean sheets in their last nine matches and haven’t really looked like getting their linen dirty tonight. So far.
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81 min: This time Pirlo’s corner is cleared by Raggi, via an overhead kick, if you don’t mind.
80 min: Pereyra makes his presence felt by nicking the ball in Monaco territory and popping it off to Tevez. Monaco scramble to prevent a breakthrough but concede a corner. Pirlo swings it over and Fabinho nods it behind for another.
78 min: Here’s a problem for Juve: Vidal appears to have picked up an injury and has to be replaced. On comes Pereyra.
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77 min: Yellow card for Kondogbia, who shoved Pirlo to the ground. A foul, to be sure, but hardly worthy of a booking given some of the challenges that did not received such a sanction earlier.
76 min: Monaco substitution: Germain, a seasoned poacher, replaces Martial.
75 min: Evra wins the ball in his own half and then embarks on a mazy gallop deep into Monaco territory ... before remembering who he is and losing the ball.
72 min: Monaco have fone off the boil for the moment, and Juve are enjoying some time at the other end. In other news ... yikes! Check out what Thomas Fourquet has just sent: “Did you know there was an American version to this song [Brel’s Le Moribond]? It turned the bitter irony of the original into maudlin sentimentality.”
69 min: Juve substitution: Morata’s had his chips: off he lumbers to be replaced by Llorente.
68 min: Nifty interplay down the right by Monaco, involving Silva, Carrasco and Fabinho. Carrasco then skins Chiellini and drives in a low cross. Bonucci smashes it to safety.
66 min: Carrasco wins a corner off Chiellini. Can Monaco find a decent delviery? Nope.
64 min: Juve are fibnally back on the front foot. But they might not bother again, given what Marchisio has just done, tonking the ball miles wide from 30 yards.
62 min: Another powerful run by Kondogbia, followed by another wayward shot. Monaco have Juve over their knees but just can’t apply the slipper.
61 min: It’s not happening for Carrasco. Replace him with Dirar, I reckon.
59 min: After that fleeting sortie down the other end, Juve had to defend in extremis in their own box again. Bonucci pokes the ball behind for a corner as Berbatov loitered, and then the corner was cleared, Monaco’s setpieces have been atrocious so far.
58 min: What a waste! Juve had the perfect opportunity to kill off the tie on the counter-attack but Morata either did not see Tevez or was unable to get the ball out from under his piece to make the pass before Abdennour dispossessed him! Cue angry gesticulation from the Argentinian to his team, who has been dreadfully gauche tonight, as in the first leg.
56 min: Signs of strain in the Juve defence, as Buffon has to hurtle off his line to stifle the danger after a loose pass sparks hope for Monaco! If Berbatov had been quicker he might have punished Juve there.
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55 min: It’s all Monaco at the moment. They’re probing relentlessly and Juve can’t get out of their half - but nor are the Italians giving up many chances at the moment.
53 min: Excellent tackle by Bonucci on Martial, but at the cost of a corner to Monaco. Moutinho’s delivery is headed away at the near post.
51 min: Tevez slips a ball through to Morata, who blems it goalward. Fine save by the keeper ... but all unnecessary, because Morata was offside.
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48 min: Carrasco is shunted to the ground by Vidal, who concedes a blatant freekick at the edge of the area. It’s too far to the right to contemplate a shot but a good cross should be forthcoming ... but no, it’s over hit. But wait, the danger is not gone for Juve! Silva retrieved the ball on the right and curled it back into the box, where Buffon and Evra bumped into each other and momentarily gave Monaco hope. But Evra recovered to welly it clear before Abdennour could pounce.
47 min: Berbatov’s arrival means he is the second coolest person in the stadium tonight (go to 1.39 in this clip).
46 min: Monaco substitution: Hereeeeeee’s Berba! He’s on for Toulalan, so that means there’ll be a reshuffle, with Martial pushing out on to the left to allow Berba to wander into the middle.
Half-time: Monaco 0-0 Juventus (agg: 0-1)
Well, who could have seen that coming? Never mind, Berbatov will surely soon enter the fray ...
45 min: Fabinho is lucky to avoid a yellow card after catching Morata with a late tackle. Tevez plays on and fires a menacing shot from 23.3 yards, approximately, but it flies just wide.
44 min: Tevez robs Raggi at the edge of the Monaco box! Briefly Monaco appear to be in serious trouble but the threat peters out when Lichtsteiner spurns a shooting opportunity, slows play down and works it back to Pirlo, who hits a stray pass. Boooooo!
43 min: Fabinho curls in a decent cross. Carrasco does well to connect with it but cannot quite contort enough to direct his header on target from 10 yards.
41 min: Impeccable defending by Kurzawa to strip the ball off Tevez, who has given the ball away several times in the last few minutes. It’s an intense, quite enjoyable game but sadly lacking in precision around either box so far.
38 min: With Monaco’s threat growing, Vidal clatters into Fabinho to concede a freekick wide on the right. Carrasco again botches the delivery. Retire, son, you’re peaked.
36 min: Penalty? “No!” indicates the ref. Kondogobia tried to force his way into the area between Chiellini and Vidal, who refused to part to let him throiugh. The midfielder went down and the crowd howled for a spotkick but the ref seemingly reasoned, quite rightly, that Kondogbia tried to go throuigh a non-existant gap. What’s more, Chiellini got a foot on the ball.
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35 min: Martial harrasses Juve into coughing up the ball deep in their opwn territory. Monaco zip the ball about in search of an opening but they can’t find one so Silva ends up lofting a hiopeful cross into the area. Bonucci butts it clear.
32 min: Silva floats a cross over from the right. Kurzawa, having hared up from the back, nuts it over.
30 min: Moutinho is down and hurt on the half-way line after being clobbered by Chiellini, who is on a yellow. He didn’t deserve a second one for that, though, even if he did catch the Portuguese painfully. After a blast of the magic spray, Mountinho is fit to continue. I’m surprised none of the candidates for the upcoming general elections in Britain has advocated buying a load of that spray for the NHS. It would surely save a fortune in treatment costs.
28 min: Brazagali dives in to shunt the ball off the feet of Carrasco at the edge of the area. But it squirts out to Moutinho, who had a pop from 20 yards. Like Fat Freddy from the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, his effort is high and wide.
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25 min: Juve seek out Tevez with a long ball from the back. Abdennour continues his excellente first-leg performance by intercepting nicely. But Monaco then give the ball away uncharacteristically at the edge of their area, and suddenly Morata has it and is trying to find space for a shot. But the youngster’s control is sketchy and Raggi is able to dispossess. Referee Collum is unmoved by the striker’s desperate collapse to the grass in search of a freekick/
22 min: Evidently Raymond Domenech has been sufficiently impressed with Kondogbia’s performance so far to declare that the youngster is “France’s third midfielder”, which presumably means he sees him forming Les Bleus’ midfield along with Matuidi and Pogba for the foreseeable future. And what a midfield that is. (Pogba and Kondogbia already partnered each other in midfield when France won the U-20 World Cup a couple of years ago, if memory serves).
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Et je confirme qu'avec Kondogbia l'EDFrance a trouvé son 3ème milieu de terrain
— Raymond Domenech (@Raymon_Domenech) April 22, 2015
20 min: That’s a better cross from Kurzawa! Juve clear but it comes to Kondogbia, some 25 yards out. The young midfielder shows strength and finessse to turn past Pirlo and whack a decent shot at goal. But it’s straight at Buffon, who holds it without ado.
19 min: Kurzawa joins in the altest Monaco attack, hurtling down the left to accept a pass and try to pick out a team-mate in the box. A sound plan, ruined only by his woeful cross.
17 min: It’s quite tight but pleasingly fast-flowing so far and both sides are showing attacking intent, Monaco more than Juve.
15 min: Close for Monaco! A beautiful one-two twixt Silva and Carrasco, followed by a cut-back from Silva that Barazgli almost turns into own goal from seven yards! The defender is relieved to see the ball pop just wide!
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13 min: Juve have enjoyed more time on the ball in the last few minutes. It’s quite surprising how little pressure Monaco are putting on Pirlo, who’s bring allowed to orchestrate things from deep as usual.
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11 min: Bonucci flights a fine long ball towards Lichtsteiner, who had romped forward down the right. But the Swiss fails to trap the ball and it runs out of play for a throw-in. That probably wasn’t worth mentioning but what’s done is done. Something better will happen soon, I’m almost sure of it.
9 min: Juve clear a corner. Fabinho retrieves it and dlips the ball wide to Silva, who hoiks in a cross. Juve clear again. Monaco are going to have to muster a little more ingenuity if they’re to get the better of this Juve defence. Or hope Chiellini slips again.
7 min: Juve infiltrate the Monaco box for the first time, Pirlo flicking a lovely pass over the top for Tevez to chase. The Argentinian goleador gets to it, but opts for a soft nod from 17 yards that is tantamount to an insult to Subasic, who grabs the ball contemptuously. I may be exaggerating the amount of spite in that exchange but I’m doing it for you, demanding readers.
4 min: Bang! Kondogbia wallops a fine half-volley a couple of yards wide! Well struck, but it never really alarmed Buffon.
2 min: What a terrible freekick by Carrasco. He’s had a brilliant season, the young Belgian, but he missed a couple of decent chances in the first leg and now he has bungled that freekick. Without wishing to appear rash, I’m saying he and this entire Belgian generation have peaked. It’s over for them now.
1 min: Monaco kick off. A good traditional start to the match there. And within 50 seconds Juve make a serious error, Chiellini falling over and then handling the ball to prevent a Monaco player from nicking it and dashing into the box. Yellow card to the Italian and a promising freekick to Monaco ...
Right, here we go! The teams strut on to the playing surface, Monaco in the red and white halves so beloved of their tens of fans, and Juventus all in smurf blue.
OK, since we’ve started on the subject off semi-forgotten very goods, let’s recall that Shelbourne-Karpaty Lvov tie from 1993. Check out Brian Mooney’s goal! And Shels’ jerseys! Now, over to you ....
That stuff in the preamble about striving for the perfect match? Swansea did the exact opposite back in 1992, as you can see from the clip below. From that atrocious goalkeeping for the first goal to Harris’ slapstick own goal later on, it was a dog’s dinner of a performance by the Swans. But didn’t Monaco have a lovely side back then? Youssouf Fofana, one of the forgotten greats! OK, one of the forgotten very goods.
So what do ye make of those line-ups? It look Massimiliano Allegri has plumped for a 3-5-2, and Leonardo Jardim may have seen that coming, which is why Berbatov isn’t starting: Monaco have instead opted for the speed and movement of Carrasco and Martial, both of whom are more likely to pull that Juve back three around. Meanwhile, it’ll be interesting to see if the return of Toulalan makes Monaco any more potent in midfield, where Vidal had a stormer in the first leg, gradually wresting the upper hand for Juve after a vibrant start by Monaco. And will Morata be more on his game than he was in the first match? if so, then you’ve got to fancy Juve’s chances of scoring on the break as Monaco seek the goal(s) they need. 1-0 Juve again, is what I’m saying. What, no, sorry, readers, I meant 5-4, honest. Stay tuned!
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Teams:
Monaco: Subasic; Fabinho, Abdennour, Raggi, Kurzawa; Toulalan, Kondogbia, Silva, Moutinho; Carrasco, Martial.
Subs: Stekelenburg, Wallace, Elderson, Dirar, Matheus, Berbatov, Germain
Juve: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Evra; Tevez, Morata.
Subs: Storari, Ogbonna, Llorente, Padoin, Sturaro, Matri, Pereyra
Ref: William Collum (Scotland)
Preamble:
Hello readers, and here is tonight’s challenge: go do something, anything, absolutely perfectly for 5,400 seconds. No mistakes. No slip-ups. No lapses of concentration or misjudgements. And no being distracted, tricked or outplayed by skilled opponents doing their utmost to put you off. Yes, you have opponents, because what we’re trying to do here, readers, is get a sense of the difficulty facing Juventus tonight. Sure, they have a one goal lead from the first leg and Monaco tend to be better away than at tonight’s venue, the Stade Louis II, but don’t go thinking that Juve are on easy street now. This tie is alive, readers, IT’s ALIVE!
So stick around and see what happens. Please.
We’ll bring you team news shortly. Will that old Manchester United duo, Berbatov and Tevez, both start for their current clubs? Ah, that takes us back, eh? Remember the days when United and other English clubs competed in Europe?
