Juventus may claim they have the share of the spoils after they won the penalty shootout, but the main headline was the 2-2 draw after 90 minutes in Carson against AC Milan.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport recalls, it was a game heavily influenced by set pieces with two goals from two free-kicks and two from corners. Milan’s struggles defending them are nothing new, but scoring them at the other end is encouraging.
The Rossoneri took the lead twice, with Malick Thiaw scoring a header from a free-kick and Olivier Giroud firing in from a Thiaw knock-down. Juve got level twice: first with a shot by Danilo born from a corner, then with a subtle deflection by Daniele Rugani (essentially an own goal by Giroud).
A penalty shootout followed because there had to be a ‘winner’, and Luka Romero out slipped like John Terry. Tommaso Pobega saw his shot saved, but Marco Sportiello (the back-up goalkeepers were on at this point) saved from Samuel Iling-Junior and Filip Kostic to send it to sudden death.
Davide Bartesaghi saw his shot saved and Nicolas Soulé netted to win it for Allegri’s side. A curiosity: two days ago, Bartesaghi finished second in an intra-squad penalty shootout, but the game didn’t go as well.
During the 90 minutes we saw some expected protagonists. Chiesa was a danger for Juve all game as Milan’s right side struggled to deal with him, while Rafael Leao and Tijjani Reijnders showed flashes for Milan.
The final half hour was a spin-off of sorts. Pioli changed ten players and it would have been the whole team had Davide Calabria not come off on 20 minutes. Shortly afterwards Allegri imitated him with other mass substitutions.
The game became less orderly though there were moments that could have won it for both sides such as Tommaso Pobega’s left-footed shot from distance, Romero’s stabbed attempt that was saved by Pinsoglio, Yildiz’s shot blocked by Bartesaghi and Adli’s free-kick.
Pioli continued trying out the 4-3-3 but some players did look to be feeling the affects of fatigue given that preseason preparations have virtually just begun for the internationals.
This game showed that our midfield and wings are capable in possession. But it is clear that Giroud not fit to 433. He missed two opportunities catching the ball with speed
He got back from vacation less than 2 weeks ago. He and Kjaer are perfect examples of how the older guys get back to their speed slower than the young lads. Give him a couple of weeks and he’ll be back to his usual self again.