'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In the first ever Super Coppa Italiana to be played outside Italy, Juventus edged AC Milan 1-0 in the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah to win their record-breaking eighth Super Coppa Italiana courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo header.
After an exciting start to the match that saw end-to-end football from both the sides, Juventus and AC Milan shared the spoils to end the first half 0-0 after both the teams failed to get the upper hand over each other.
The second half though was much more open with Juventus finally getting into their rhythm. It was once again that man, Cristiano Ronaldo, who made the difference in the match as the Portuguese forward timed his run to perfection to head in a beautiful ball from Miralem Pjanic to give the Bianconeri the lead in the 61st minute.
There was further action to come as Frank Kessie was given the marching order in the 73rd minute after the Ivorian appeared to have his boot, stud first into, Emre Can legs, with VAR overturning the referee's decision to give the marching orders.
With a man down, Milan found it difficult to break through the well set Juventus defence as the Old Lady of Turin held onto to win their eighth Super Coppa Italiana.
#5 Juventus finally break their Super Coppa Italiana jinx
The seven-time consecutive champions Juventus had failed to win the Super Coppa Italiana in the past two seasons after having lost to AC Milan and Lazio in the previous seasons.
The defending Serie A champions had a poor record of just one victory in their previous four Super Coppa Italiana matches and there were doubts once again cast upon their Super Coppa aspirations.
This thought though was put to sleep as Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first final goal for the Bianconeri to help them secure the first piece of silverware of the season.
Also See : Durand Cup, Durand Cup Schedule, Calcutta Football League
# 4 Lucas Paqueta seems to fit into the AC Milan system seamlessly
A lot was said about the 21-year old attacking midfielder from Flamengo before his arrival from Brazil, even drawing comparisons with a certain AC Milan and Brazil legend named Kaka at his very early age.
The Brazilian National team coach Tete even compared the young attacking midfielders way of thinking to his national team stalwarts Neymar and Philippe Coutinho.
The attacking midfielder though seems to relish the burden that has been put upon him by his national side coach and has already started showing the glimpses of prowess that saw the young Brazilian being bought by the Rossoneri.
In the first two matches for his, Paqueta looks extremely comfortable on the pitch with the Brazilian seemingly fit into the frame of things.
The attacking midfielder was always a threat for the Bianconeri throughout the match till he was substituted in the 71st minute to give way for Fabio Borini.
His dazzling run and skills proved to be quite a nuisance in the left wing with Hakan Calhanoglu as the pair continuously gave the Juventus backline a problem.
#3 Frank Kessie needs to be more disciplined
With a goal down and less than 20 minutes left on the clock, Frank Kessie made a rash decision as he went stud first into the leg of Emre Can with VAR correctly giving the Ivorian the marching orders after the referee initially gave him the yellow card.
The decision ultimately made it easier for the Bianconeri to snatch the victory as Milan were reduced to 10.
Along with the red, Kessie has picked up six yellow cards in his 22 matches for Milan this season with five of them coming in the league.
With this, Kessie will miss AC Milan's match against Genoa and Napoli through suspension, giving Gattuso even more headache.
#2 Douglas Costa needs more starts
The sight of Douglas Costa attacking in a wing is a treat to watch with the Brazilian ability to dribble past any defender with his pace and dazzling skills proving more than enough for a defender.
The Brazilian though has found it hard to break into the starting line-up this season with Cristiano Ronaldo joining the side this year, forming a lethal partnership with Dybala and Mandzukic up front, that has seen the winger being relegated to just four starts in the season.
The 28-year-old showed what the Bianconeri were missing as he tore the AC Milan defence on more than one occasion.
The Brazilian was a thorn in the AC Milan defence as he continuously proved too hot handle for Ricardo Rodriguez who almost failed completely to stop the marauding Brazilian.
If not for the poor final ball from him Juventus would have scored more than a goal today. The Brazilian is sure to be not content with an appearance from the bench and will surely seek better pastures in the summer, if not given proper starts.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo yet again proves why he is the man for the finals
The name says it all, Cristiano Ronaldo, a serial-winner with league titles and domestic titles in Spain and England the Portuguese hopes of conquering Italy has started off on a bright note.
The five-time Balon d'Or winner helped the Bianconeri win their record eighth Super Coppa scoring the goal that proved to be the difference the two teams.
It was a typical Ronaldo goal as the Portuguese forward timed his run to perfection to head in a brilliantly weighted ball from Pjanic in the 71st minute to give Juve the lead.
With this goal, Ronaldo has started his goalscoring account for the year 2019 after ending last year with 49 goals.
