On Wednesday evening, the first leg of the Champions League semi-final was played in UEFA.
Monaco faced Juventus in front of their fans. Massimiliano Allegri's team once again showed their solid defense, and two goals from Gonzalo Higuain secured a 2-0 victory.
The match started with both teams cautiously observing each other - neither side attacked dangerously. In the 16th minute, the first serious threat arose near Gianluigi Buffon's goal - after a perfect pass, Kylian Mbappe directed the ball towards the goal, but Buffon was in the right place at the right time.
In the 29th minute, Monaco finally conceded the first goal of the match - during a rapid counterattack, Gonzalo Higuain put the visitors from Turin ahead. The Argentine scored after a masterful pass from Dani Alves.
There were no significant events in the remaining first half, so the teams entered the battle in the second half.
In the second half, Monaco showed character and attacked the visitors' side from the beginning. However, in the 59th minute, they were punished with the second goal - Gonzalo Higuain scored after another excellent pass from D. Alves.
The remaining half-hour was very quiet - Monaco tried to score at least one goal, which would have kept their chances alive to reach the final, but Juventus' disciplined defense was unbeatable, and the match ended with a 2-0 victory for the visitors.
The second leg between Juventus and Monaco will take place in Italy next Tuesday.
Score:
Monaco 0 - 2 Juventus
29' [0 - 1] G. Higuain
59' [0 - 2] G. Higuain
Starting lineups:
Monaco: Subasic; Dirar, Glik, Jemerson, Sidibe; Lemar, Fabinho, Bakayoko, Bernardo Silva; Falcao, Mbappe.
Juventus: Buffon, Dani Alves, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro, Marchisio, Pjanic, Mandzukic, Dybala, Higuain.
Monaco - Juventus 0-2
69' - G. Chiellini (Juventus) - yellow card
59' - G. Higuain (Juventus) - scored a goal
58' - C. Marchisio (Juventus) - yellow card
37' - Fabinho (Monaco) - yellow card
29' - G. Higuain (Juventus) - scored a goal - 0-1
21' - L. Bonucci (Juventus) - yellow card
