Match Reports

country flag Serie A Round 12
Milan 0 - 2 Juventus
Sun 11 November 2018 19:30
Substitutes
Min. Rat. Pos. No.
Miralem Pjanic 74 Sami Khedira 28
Paulo Dybala 79 Douglas Costa 90
Unused Substitutes
Player. Rat. Pos. No.

Game Report

Highlights

Gonzalo Higuain had an evening to forget in his first meeting against his former club as he missed a chance to equalise from the penalty spot and was later sent-off, with Juventus running out 2-0 winners against his AC Milan side at the San Siro. Mario Mandzukic gave the champions an early lead and Higuain saw his spot-kicked saved by Wojciech Szczesny before Cristiano Ronaldo killed the game late on.

Detail

This was the meeting of the two most successful clubs in Italian football history but Juventus would start as clear favourites. It didn't take them long to establish early dominance as Alex Sandro lifted in a cross from the left and Mandzukic easily climbed over Riccardo Rodriguez to nod home.

The champions were looking to put the game to bed early and Mandzukic almost repeated the trick shortly afterwards. This time it was Ronaldo with the cross and the Croatian striker looked set to head it in but Alessio Romagnoli was there with a vital interception.

AC Milan seemed to just be trying to stay in touch with the visitors but they were given a big chance to get back on level terms. Mehdi Benatia blocked Higuain's touch in the box with his arm and, after checking VAR, the referee pointed to the spot. Higuain took responsibility against his former club but his low penalty was touched onto the post by Szczesny.

The home side struggled to recover from that penalty miss and barely threatened in the second half. Substitute, Diego Laxalt, gave the ball away cheaply inside his own half to Joao Cancelo. The full-back drove forward and fired a shot which Gianluigi Donnarumma could only push out to Ronaldo who fired in the rebound.

Higuian was clearly frustrated about how his first meeting with his old club had gone and his emotions boiled over towards the end. The Argentine striker was first booked for a foul on Benatia and then decided to scream in the referee's face which earned him a red card.

Summary

AC Milan missed the chance to get a foothold in the game with the penalty but ultimately they were beaten by a much better side on the night. Higuain didn't handle the occasion very well and will be a big miss for Gennaro Gattuso whilst he is suspended. Juventus will be pleased to respond immediately to the calamity in midweek against Manchester United and they remain a level above everyone domestically. The Bianconeri are six points clear at the top of Serie A going into the international break.

Key

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Red card
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Goal
Artificial Pitch