Juventus beat Monaco at the Stade Louis II by two goals to leave France with an advantage in the Champions League semi-final tie. Both goals were scored by Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain with one in each half as a masterful tactical display from the Italian side saw them come out victorious against the highly rated Monaco attack.
Juventus are now the favourites to reach the final as they’ll take a two-goal away lead to Turin for the second leg next week.
Also read: Player ratings from Juventus’ win over Monaco
Here are the talking points from the game:
#1 A tactical mismatch in the opening exchanges
In the first 15 minutes of the game, Juventus got the better of Monaco, particularly in a tactical sense. Monaco’s wingbacks found it difficult to deal with Juventus’ wingers running inside towards their centre-backs and that dragged them centrally. Consequently, it left huge pockets of space on the flanks for Juventus to exploit and the Old Lady’s wingbacks Dani Alves and Alex Sandro found themselves in great positions to whip in crosses.
Naturally, the Monaco wingbacks Sidibe and Dirar needed the support of their wingers but that did not happen. It resulted in Juventus creating a few chances early on and exposed the frailties of Monaco’s four-man back line against multiple runners for Juventus.
#2 Kylian Mbappe demonstrates why he is so highly rated
It's not easy playing against a Juventus defence let alone cause them problems but Kylian Mbappe did just that. While the rest of his teammates struggled initially against Juventus’ tight back line, Mbappe showed why is so highly sought after.
The 18-year-old created space and managed a couple of quickfire chances for himself – a header and a shot on goal that forced Gianluigi Buffon into a great save.
Mbappe showed intelligence in his off the ball movement, raw pace and talent to create those openings for himself. If it wasn’t for Buffon, who was in fine form in goal, the young Frenchman might have got on the scoresheet and change the complexion of the game.
The youngster who has been likened to Thierry Henry proved why he is one of Europe’s finest talents.
#3 Juventus took their chances while Monaco rued missing theirs
Dani Alves and Gonzalo Higuain combined either side of half-time to score two goals with two out of their four shots on goal in the first 60 minutes of the game. Monaco had a good spell in the first half when Mbappe and Falcao created chances for the home side, however, Juventus proved to be more clinical.
Higuain’s through ball found Alves who brilliantly backheeled the ball with inch-perfect precision for Higuain to take in his stride and finish. The two would combine again just before the hour mark as Higuain buried Alves’ guided cross to make it 2-0 to Juventus.
Monaco were left ruing their chances as Juventus got their tactics and finishing spot on. El Pipita, as he was affectionately called by Real Madrid fans, justified the money Juventus spent on him with his immaculate finishing in the crunch semi-final tie while Paulo Dybala took a back seat in the game. The two goals firmly put any lingering doubts about his big-game mentality to bed.
#4 Juventus shut out Silva’s creativity
Bernardo Silva tried to muster up some attacks with his creativity but his efforts were in vain as Juventus kept it tight at the back and got bodies behind the ball. However, Juventus’ star youngster Paulo Dybala had a quiet half by his high standards.
Dybala showed glimpses of his ability in the first half but never really got into full gear in the game as Bakayako man-marked the young Argentine forward. However, he had a part to play in each goal by starting off the moves with his flicks and passing.
Bernardo Silva created chances for Falcao and the Monaco attack but he could not find the decisive through ball to split a compact and tough-tackling Juventus defence.
#5 The best attack beaten by the best defence in Europe
Monaco have scored the most goals in Europe’s top five leagues while Juventus are the team with the best defence. As the second half progressed beyond 60 minutes the game became more of a technical and tactical battle between the two sides. Monaco tried to go ahead and tested Juventus’ back line but the three-man defence of Chiellini, Barzagli and Bonucci did not budge.
The Italian club defended superbly while not being bothered too much to deny Monaco much space to work moves into the box. When the ball was crossed in, they dealt with it with ease and intelligence. Juventus defenders swarmed around Monaco’s attackers and defended everything thrown at them to prevent Monaco from scoring.
They defended a number of free-kicks late in the game as well and Buffon had his part to play in keeping a clean sheet with some big saves. The Turin club showed why they are the team with a 79% win percentage this season because and the best defence. They completed 63% of their tackles while making 57 clearances and five blocks in the game.
They defended compactly and broke efficiently on the counter. Juventus’ tactics worked perfectly and their defence won the battle in the game to silence the famed Monaco attack.
