Putting in a famous display in Turin on Sunday night, AC Milan officially punched their Champions League ticket as they secured a 1-0 victory away at Juventus.
Cashing in on a Juve squad that find themselves in the midst of yet another public nightmare, it was Olivier Giroud who stole all of the headlines as the ex-Arsenal striker bagged his 12th Serie A strike of the season just five minutes before the half-time break.
Clinching back-to-back domestic wins for the first time since the end of February, Stefano Pioli’s side also extended on what has become a remarkable record against their fellow Italian icons.
While Juve might have also suffered their own European heartbreak at the hands of Sevilla earlier in the month, Sunday’s hosts are dealing with a growing crisis both on and off the pitch.
Putting in a toothless display here and now losing each of their last three appearances across all formats, the Old Lady are also facing a major uphill battle in their bid to claim an essential top-six finish.
On a night when AC Milan officially punched their Champions League ticket with time to spare, we have taken a look at the main talking points from Sunday’s battle in Turin.
The Rossoneri punch their Champions League ticket with a heavyweight statement
Suffering Champions League heartbreak at the hands of their bitter local rivals on May 16th and enduring a wobble after returning from March’s international break, AC Milan certainly appear to have put their European collapse behind them.
Storming their way to a thrilling 5-1 romp at home against Sampdoria last weekend, the Rossoneri travelled to Turin on Sunday night knowing that another victory would be enough to officially book another top-four ticket.
Although Pioli’s men might have failed to clinch back-to-back wins since the end of February prior to their trip to Juve, AC couldn’t have wished for a better way to mathematically clinch another Champions League adventure.
Likewise, claiming a 2-0 win when they welcomed the Old Lady to Milan for their reverse Serie A showdown on October 8th, the former Italian champions also extended on a remarkable run against Sunday’s hosts.
In fact, along with shipping just a single goal in any of their last five straight meetings against Juventus, the Rossoneri have remarkably lost only one of their last nine battles across all competitions.
Despite suffering that major Champions League heartbreak earlier in the month, there are plenty of positives to take away from this season’s run.
Juve’s nightmare is inching towards a close
Hit with a 10-point deduction by the Italian Federation last week and dealing with a string of public financial issues over recent times, Juventus find themselves at the heart of another nightmare.
Crashing out of the Europa League on May 18th as they eventually fell to a 3-2 aggregate defeat at the hands of Spanish outfit Sevilla, Sunday’s hosts have come under a huge amount of scrutiny this season.
Free-falling their way out of the Serie A top-six following that 10-point deduction, Massimiliano Allegri’s downbeat squad appear that the best that they can settle for in 2023 is a Conference League ticket.
Left stunned last weekend as they were hit with an infamous 4-1 drumming away at Empoli, Juve have now lost each of their last three appearances across all competitions – their worst losing run of the 2022/23 campaign.
With it announced that a host of first-team stars will be heading for the Turin exit this summer, Allegri’s men face a huge few months behind the scenes.
Only recording a single victory over the past five weeks and putting in yet another toothless display here, Juventus are certainly limping their way over the finish line.
Giroud is a modern-day hero in Milan
While it might have been reported following Sunday’s victory in Turin that attacking talisman Rafael Leao is set to sign a bumper contract extension at the San Siro, it has been AC Milan’s striking veteran who has been one of Pioli’s standout performer this season.
Only continuing to shine since making the move from Premier League giants Chelsea back in July 2021, Giroud has cruised his way to the Rossoneri’s Golden Boot in 2023 after notching 17 strikes across all competitions this year.
Bagging what was a famous first-half winner on Sunday night, the one-time Chelsea star has certainly proven that even at 36 he still remains one of Europe’s most clinical marksmen.
Once again gaining a string of plaudits from across Italy this season and playing a crucial role as AC reached this year’s Champions League semi-final, the French international has now bagged four goals in his back-to-back Serie A appearances over the past week.
Notching a famous hat-trick as Pioli’s side breezed their way to a 5-1 romp against Sampdoria last weekend, it is no surprise why the San Siro hierarchy are so desperate for Giroud to follow in Leao’s footsteps by signing a new deal in Milan.
Juventus: Szczesny, Gatti, Bremer, Danilo, Cuadrado, Rabiot, Locatelli, Kostic, Di Maria, Chiesa, Kean
Subs: Milik, Bonucci, Paredes, Lling-Junior
AC Milan: Maignan, Calabria, Thiaw, Tomori, Hernandez, Tonali, Krunic, Messias, Diaz, Leao, Giroud
Subs: Saelemaekers, Pobega, Origi, Kalulu, Ballo-Toure
Goals: Giroud (40’)
Yellow Cards: Juventus: Cuadrado – AC Milan: Krunic, Messias
Red Cards: N/A
Referee: Maurizio Mariani
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