On the 1st leg match of the semifinals of Coppa Italia, AC Milan welcomed Juventus in the San Siro Stadium. The game was intense and had many emotions, with both teams drawing by 1-1. Both goals came out in the second half. Ante Rebic opened the scoring for the Rossoneri, while Cristiano Ronaldo equalized for the Old Lady.
The very first chance was for the home side, with four minutes into the game. However, since the early minutes, Gigi Buffon was there to show why he still is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Juventus didn’t really create any danger until the 15th minute, but the best chances were certainly for AC Milan. The Bianconeri goalkeeper, who was maybe the best player of Juve in the first 45 minutes, had to avoid finishes from Rebic, Calabria, and Ibrahimovic.
The second half continued intensely. The best duel was certain between Rebic and Buffon, once the midfielder kept demanding good defenses from the veteran goalkeeper. Ibrahimovic also brought some danger, but not enough for a player like him. In my opinion, he was just calling the defense’s attention and opening spaces for the others, then really being effective.
At the 61st minute, Rebic was finally able to win his personal duel against Buffon, breaking the deadlock and putting Milan ahead on the scoring, after a cross from Calhanoglu. However, things got harder for the Rossoneri 10 minutes later when Theo Hernandez saw his second yellow card and was sent off.
With 10 players, it got even more difficult to stop Juve’s attack. And, making things worse, Juventus were awarded a penalty when VAR checked a play inside the box and saw a handball from Calabria. Of course, CR7 stepped up, who else could be?! The Portuguese star shot in the center and didn’t give chances to Donnarumma.
The 1-1 draw was not god for AC Milan, once the second leg will be played in Turin and they are going to be without some players, like Theo Hernandez and Ibrahimovic. However, nothing is impossible in football, we know that. Maybe this honestly bad team of Milan can surprise and go the final of Coppa Italia.