The year 2021 has started and who says new year says Champions League final phase. Eliminated by OL last season, Juventus will play Porto in the round of 16 this season, a club that the Italians have already met at this stage of the competition, in 2017.
So close, and yet so far
“I’m talking about a time that those under 20 can’t know”. This start of La Bohème by Charles Aznavour could perfectly match this round of 16 of the Champions League one evening in February 2017. This match is only 4 years old and yet it seems so far away. This confrontation being Porto and Juventus offers football fans a last duel between the two Legends Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon, a match where Cristiano Ronaldo is only a dream for the Turinese tifosi, where Claudio Marchisio still puts on the studs near Turin. During the group stage, the Old Lady’s players finish in first place in their group ahead of Sevilla, OL and Zagreb. Opposite, Porto finishes behind Leicester of his group and comes face to the team of Massimiliano Allegri with the costume of outsider.
The rebel Bonucci punished
For this first leg in Portugal, the player in the news is called Leonardo Bonucci. Faced with Parma, the Italian defender attacks Allegri and the sentence is irrevocable. The Italian coach has chosen to do without his defender for this important match, a choice he assumes 100%. ” Bonucci will be in the stands tomorrow. It is a justified decision, out of respect for the team, the tifosi and the club. And the case is closed […] It is my decision and I communicated it to the club. Bonucci understood because he is a smart boy and an important player for Juventus ”. Bonucci in the stands, Allegri trusts a winning trio in the defensive sector, Buffon – Chiellini – Barzagli!
In a packed “Estadio do Dragao” the two teams will observe each other for long minutes until the 24th minute. In the space of one minute Alex Telles will take two cards after two faults on Juan Cuadrado and the “Swiss army knife” Stephan Lichtsteiner. From that moment the Turinese will dominate the meeting, without however succeeding in deceiving Casillas. When the Bianconeri manage to catch the frame, the former Real Madrid goalkeeper is intractable as for example in front of Gonzalo Higuain (39th). And when the Spaniard is beaten, it is his post that saves him as on a strike from Paulo Dybala a few seconds before half-time …
Allegri’s winning coaching
Back from the locker room, Allegri’s men push from the start and think of opening the scoring. After a super ball over the defense of Pjanic, Dybala lights Casillas at close range but the Argentine is penalized with an offside. Despite a reaction from the Portuguese with a header right next to Herrera (48th), Juventus dominates this match. But as in the first period, strikes do not worry “San Iker”. Dybala, Khedira or even Higuain break their teeth when trying their luck, an inefficiency that will push Allegri to make a first change. Cuadrado gives way to a young hope, recruited six months earlier, who grabs a few minutes at each meeting, Marko Pjaca! Entering the 67th, the Croatian will immediately make the difference on the right side. After combining with Dybala, the winger recovers the ball after an opponent’s error and deceives Casillas with a superb cross strike with the right foot (72nd)! Juventus finally breaks the Portuguese lock and takes a first step towards the quarter-finals. Already inspired with this first change, Allegri brings new blood and launches Daniel Alves in place of Lichtsteiner. The Brazilian will hit the mark a few seconds after entering the pitch. Present at the far post, he is at the reception of a cross from Alex Sandro and deceives Casillas with a recovery of the left foot (74th). In the space of two minutes the Old Lady extinguished her opponent and her 50,000 supporters.
At the end of a controlled match, Juventus won 2-0 and can calmly glimpse the return match at home. She doesn’t know it yet, but the Old Lady is going to experience a crazy European epic, an epic that will take her to the final, for the second time in three editions.
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