Juventus wins the Trofeo Luigi Berlusconi
Italian Serie A is about to start, as the clubs are currently in last stages of preparations by playing in some pre-season matches and tournaments. As Inter Milan won the Italian Super Cup, Juventus and AC Milan, the other aspirants of Serie A title, were playing against each other in the Trofeo Luigi Berlusconi, a trophy named after Milan’s owner, Silvio Berlusconi’s late father.
It was a battle between Luigi Del Neri, Juventus’ coach, and Massimiliano Allegri, AC Milan’s coach, as both were playing in their first competitive match with their new clubs. It was Luigi who came on top of his counterpart, but he had to wait until the penalty shootout for this result. None of the teams looked good in this fixture, and there were no positives that they will be taking ahead from this. No one posed any real threat for the other team, as the normal time of game went past without any significant moment.
Marco Motta, the Bionconeri’s defender, scored the winning penalty for his team. Previously, Thiago Silva of Milan was unable to convert his penalty, as he shot over crossbar, for Milan’s second penalty kick. The players who scored for Milan were Ronaldinho, Daniele Bonera and Fillipo Inzaghi, while Simon Pepe, Leonardo Bonucci, Davide Lanzafame and Diego converted for Juventus.
The first half was dominated by AC Milan, as they came close to scoring on a number of occasions. Juventus, on the other hand, did not pose any threat to their opponents, as most of the game was played in Juventus’ half of the pitch. Clarence Seedorf showed that he still had some football left in him, as he came close to scoring on two occasions. However, his fierce volleys had power, but they lacked accuracy, as the ball remained inches away from going into goal. Alex Manninger, the Juventus’ goal-keeper had a decent game and he saved a shot by Massimo Ambrosini.
On the other side of pitch, only one clear chance was taken by Juventus, as David Trezeguet tried to score from a diving header. However, this time Milan’s keeper, Christian Abbiati saved the day for his team.
The second half was even less interesting than the first one. Neither of the teams had any real chances throughout the 45 minutes. There was a lack of intent shown by both teams, as no real chances were created in second half. Ronaldinho and Alessandro Del Piero were on target in second half, from their free-kicks, but both goal-keepers did not face any real trouble stopping the ball. Juventus’ substitute, Diego, tried to make an impact as well. However, he was slightly over-ambitious, due to which his shots were struck wildly and without any real openings. The match ended with an unspectacular draw, heading towards the penalties. Juventus won, ultimately, with a score of 5-4.
Juventus’ new signing, Simon Pepe, was the best player of the night. Although, he looked awkward at times, however, he had a decent game of passing and attacking. On the other hand, David Trezeguet of Juventus, was the worst player of the night. Apart from his only chance of the match in first half, Trezeguet looked in a bewildered state. He made no real movement upfront and posed no real danger for the Milan’s defence. His compatriot, Alessandro Del Piero had a much better outing than his old partner. Also, Juventus did not play their new signings, Milos Krasic and Alberto Aquilani. In their presence, the situation might get better for the Old Lady.
The Serie A will start from next weekend and this fixture will provide a great insight for the future matches. Both teams looked shaky, unlike their rivals Internazionale, who had a relatively easy win against AS Roma. Right now, it seems that both these teams will have to make some changes in their squad, in order to pose any challenge to the authority of Inter Milan in Serie A.
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