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MONACO - JUVENTUS 0 - 0 (Aggregate 0-1) Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015 - 08:45 P.M. Stade Louis II., Monaco Referee:‬ William Collum (Scotland) Juve Do Just Enough to Advance vs. Monaco Apr 22, 2015 Juventus advanced to the 2014–15 Champions League semi-finals with a 1-0 aggregate triumph over Monaco. Wednesday's second leg finished with a 0-0 score. The Bianconeri entered the rematch with a slight one-goal edge after scoring a home win last week. It came by way of an Arturo Vidal penalty kick that was controversially awarded after Ricardo Carvalho fouled Alvaro Morata on the edge of the area. With Juventus holding the advantage, the Italian side were predictably cautious in the opening 45 minutes. They didn't want to make any mistakes that would shift the momentum in Monaco's favor in the blink of an eye, as was the case for Porto against Bayern Munich on Tuesday. The French club were able to dominate possession, holding the ball for nearly 60 percent of the first half. The struggle came when trying to create good scoring opportunities. The Rouge and Blanc generated seven shots before the break, but only one was on frame. Luca Persico of Sambafoot provided some analysis on a pretty nondescript half: Luca Persico @LucaMBPersico No notable chances conceded by Juventus. Concern is territory and cheap giveaways. Monaco intensity hasn't helped. Need to be more decisive. David Swan of Football Italia didn't think Juve were playing the right brand of football: David Swan @DavidLSwan Unnecessarily negative first half from Juventus. They deserve to concede with that performance As expected, Monaco started to push the pace a little more after half-time, needing a goal. They were finally able to get a couple of chances closer to goal in the first few minutes of the second. The closest was cleared away from the line by Patrice Evra. John Bennett of BBC World Service observed a lack of composure from Juve during those tension-filled minutes: John Bennett @JohnBennettBBC Juve players look nervy (apart from Pirlo of course, who looks as though he's deciding what wine to have with dinner tonight). As the second-half clock ticked, Monaco's consistent attack presence was impressive. Matteo Bonetti of BeIN Sports noted the sustained effort: Matteo Bonetti ✔@TheCalcioGuy Surely, surely Monaco can't keep this pressure up for much longer.. The needed goal continued to elude them, however. As Bonetti predicted, Monaco seemed to wear down in the latter stages. Juventus were finally able to put together some extended stretches of possession, heading into the corners and wasting as much time as possible. That allowed the Bianconeri to reach the finish line with the necessary 0-0 draw to advance. Juventus celebrated the result: JuventusFC ✔@juventusfcen FULL-TIME: #MonacoJuve 0-0. Goalless in Monte Carlo, meaning it's the Bianconeri who go through to this year's #UCL SEMIS! #FORZAJUVE Tancredi Palmeri of CNN noted it's been well over a decade since they advanced this far: Tancredi Palmeri @tancredipalmeri Juventus back to semifinals after 12 years and 1 relegation Ultimately, it wasn't the most entertaining encounter of the quarter-final round by any measure. The second leg was in particular more of an endurance test for Juve than anything else. They were able to thwart the Monaco attack long enough to advance. Key Player Grades Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus): A- Bonucci was a stabilizing force in the middle of the defense at the most important moments. Monaco were able to turn up the heat, especially in the second half, but he made several key tackles to keep them out of dangerous areas. He kept the back line in order amid pressure. Arturo Vidal (Juventus): B+ Vidal was one of the few Juve players who was able to hold possession. He did well to create space in the middle to burn time and tracked back to make some nice defensive plays. Vidal lived up to his reputation as a highly reliable box-to-box midfielder. Joao Moutinho (Monaco): C- At a time when Monaco needed some creativity to spark the attack, he wasn't able to provide nearly enough. Moutinho should have done more given the amount of possession he had with Juve settling into a defensive posture. There were only a few glimpses of strong play. Dimitar Berbatov (Monaco): C Monaco brought the veteran striker on at half-time to provide another attacking presence, but Berbatov struggled to find time and space against a steady Bianconeri defensive group. He wasn't able to come up with the moment of brilliance his side needed on this night. Post-Match Reaction Juventus passed along comments from goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon: JuventusFC ✔@juventusfcen .@gianluigibuffon: "I thought I'd have to wait less than 12 years to reach a #UCL semi. We wanted to get through at all costs." The club also highlighted remarks from Leonardo Bonucci regarding potential opponents in the next round: JuventusFC ✔@juventusfcen .@bonucci_leo19: "Three top opponents are in Friday's #UCLdraw, but we'll be up to the task that lies ahead of us." As GFFNPressConferences shared, Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim looked back on his team's Champions League run with pride: GFFNPressConferences @GFFNPressConf Leonardo Jardim: "Throughout this excellent campaign we have represented both France and Monaco well." Prince Albert of Monaco chimed in on the match as well, and he believed the hosts deserved better than the 0-0 final score indicated: GFFNPressConferences @GFFNPressConf Prince Albert: "We maybe deserved a bit more tonight." The Bianconeri hold a massive lead in the Italian Serie A and have already qualified for the final of the Coppa Italia, so the team can now shift its full focus to the Champions League semi-finals. Juventus may not be as inexperienced as the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona or Real Madrid at this level, but they'll represent a difficult opponent regardless. The Italian champions have one of the top defensive units in all of Europe and will likely be boosted by the return of star midfielder Paul Pogba before the first leg of their next Champions League tie. Underestimate the Old Lady at your own risk. Monaco have fallen behind in the Ligue 1 standings and will now look to secure a top-three finish and a return to next year's Champions League.

MONACO - JUVENTUS 0 - 0 (Aggregate 0-1) Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015 - 08:45 P.M. Stade Louis II., Monaco Referee:‬ William Collum (Scotland) Buffon: 'At last after 12 years!' Apr 22, 2015 Gigi Buffon felt “tension” was behind the Juventus performance in Monaco, but they can “enjoy” a Champions League semi-final. The 0-0 draw at the Stade Louis II proved enough after the 1-0 first leg result in Turin, the first Juve semi-final since 2003. “I thought I’d have to wait less when I was at this stage 12 years ago, but seeing the journey was very difficult, we can enjoy this result even more. “Of course, we know that we haven’t achieved anything yet,” Buffon told Sport Mediaset. “We wanted to get through to the next round at all costs. We knew it was a great opportunity and after 12 years we wanted to honour the history of Juve. “There was a lot more tension here than in Dortmund, as we knew Monaco were much more complicated to face and we had a slender lead, so every tiny error could cost double. “I think the tension therefore gripped us more than usual.” Juventus are through to the Champions League semi-finals along with Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

MONACO - JUVENTUS 0 - 0 (Aggregate 0-1) Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015 - 08:45 P.M. Stade Louis II., Monaco Referee:‬ William Collum (Scotland) Juventus secure place in Champions League semi-finals Apr 22, 2015 Juventus have booked their place in the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in 13 years courtesy of a 1-0 aggregate victory over AS Monaco. The Old Lady picked up a narrow 1-0 triumph in the first leg last week and successfully held out for a goalless draw at the Stade Louis II this evening to secure their place in the last four. The hosts went into the match knowing that the onus was on them to score, and they threatened within six minutes as Geoffrey Kondogbia chipped the ball up to himself before volleying just wide from outside the box. The urgency was clearly with the principality, and Kondogbia came close again with a drive that this time forced Gianluigi Buffon into action, shortly after Andrea Barzagli had bundled the ball narrowly past his own post. Joao Moutinho was the next to come close for Monaco as his effort from just outside the box deflected narrowly over, and that profligacy was almost punished late in the half when Juventus created their first opening of the night. The Serie A champions won the ball inside the Monaco half and immediately burst forward, with Carlos Tevez leading the charge before firing a shot narrowly past the far post from 20 yards. The hosts upped the tempo again at the start of the second half and almost broke the deadlock five minutes after the restart when Buffon failed to collect Layvin Kurzawa's cross, only for Patrice Evra to hack the ball clear. Juve quickly stemmed the tide, however, and Massimiliano Allegri's side successfully kept Monaco at arm's length for the majority of the second half as they edged ever closer to the last four of the Champions League for the first time since 2002-03. The visitors almost wrapped things up once and for all right at the end of the match when Andrea Pirlo sent a swerving free kick towards goal, but it came crashing back off the post with the keeper beaten. That was not to prove important, however, as Juventus held on for a draw on the night that was all they needed to confirm their place in the semi-finals alongside Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

MONACO - JUVENTUS 0 - 0 (Aggregate 0-1) Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015 - 08:45 P.M. Stade Louis II., Monaco Referee:‬ William Collum (Scotland) Monaco 0-0 Juventus (Agg 0-1): Bianconeri Make It To The Semi-Finals Apr 22, 2015 Juventus secured their passage to the semi-finals of the Champions League after playing out a 0-0 draw against Monaco at the Stade Louis II on Wednesday night, giving them a 1-0 win on aggregate. In a game of few clear cut chances, the home side missed a glorious opportunity, courtesy of Aymen Abdennour from Gianluigi Buffon’s mistake. Juventus could have snatched the win themselves, but showed great awareness in defence to hold onto the result needed and progress. Juventus almost had the worst possible start, Giorgio Chiellini slipping on the ball in defence within the first minute and almost allowing Anthony Martial in. The defender swiped the ball away, earning a yellow card for his troubles. Monaco were dominating early proceedings, the impressive Geoffrey Kondogbia teeing himself for a powerful volley that whistled over the crossbar. At the other end Carlos Tevez scuffed a good chance after Andrea Pirlo played a perfectly weighted pass through the French defence. Instead of bringing the ball down, the Argentine opted to head it weakly into Danijel Subasic’s arms. The best chance of the first half fell to Bernardo Silva. A wonderful one-two with Joao Moutinho saw Silva burst into the box and send in a low delivery across the face of goal, deflecting inches wide of the goal off the outstretched leg of Andrea Barzagli. Kondogbia was causing Juventus problems in midfield, using his strength to avoid Pirlo but could only fire straight at Buffon. Shortly after Pirlo provided a trademark defence-splitting pass, eluding Monaco’s defence. Stephan Lichtsteiner would have been clear through on goal had it not been for the quick thinking of the on-rushing Subasic. Monaco had strong claims for a penalty waved away as Martial recovered the ball and released Kondogbia, only to be squeezed out by Chiellini and Arturo Vidal. On the strike of half-time Alvaro Morata won the ball back and spun away from Silva majestically to send in Tevez, but his shot was dragged wide as a cagey first-half came to a close. Shortly after the restart Monaco almost broke the deadlock courtesy of a Buffon mistake. After a corner was cleared out to Moutinho, the Portuguese’s deep cross was missed completely by Buffon, who couldn’t get a fist to it, falling to Abdennour three yards out. A last gasp Patrice Evra clearance saved a certain goal. Juventus were causing themselves problems at the back, but Monaco could not punish them. A sloppy Vidal backpass was underhit and almost released Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian did not have the pace to reach the ball and Buffon was alert to touch it away from the striker’s feet. Once again Pirlo was at the heart of Juventus’ best attacks. A quick counter attack saw the Italian international play through Morata to dribble past the defence. The young striker did not look up and failed to pick out the unmarked Tevez and was intercepted by Abdennour, much to the disgust of his strike partner. Monaco were looking dangerous with the introduction of Berbatov, particularly as Layvin Kurzawa charged down the right and cut a ball through for him. Berbatov’s lack of pace allowed Barzagli to get a toe to the ball before he could tap in, rescuing Juventus once again. As the second half wore on Juventus closed the game down, stopping Monaco from getting in behind. With minutes remaining Pirlo almost secured the result for Juventus, hitting a wicked free-kick which cannoned off the crossbar.

MONACO - JUVENTUS 0 - 0 (Aggregate 0-1) Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015 - 08:45 P.M. Stade Louis II., Monaco Referee:‬ William Collum (Scotland) Juventus reach Champions League semis after goalless draw in Monaco Apr 22, 2015 Juventus moved into the last four of the Champions League for the first time in 12 years after playing out a goalless draw with Monaco in the second leg of their quarterfinal tie. Juve went into the clash with a 1-0 aggregate lead after tasting victory against the principality club in the first leg and the Italian giants held onto that lead to book their place in the last-four draw along with Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid. Monaco took the game to their visitors in the early stages, with Geoffrey Kondogbia coming close on a number of occasions in a first half dominated by Leonardo Jardim's men. The hosts enjoyed most of the possession in the second period but could not find a way past a resolute Juventus defence. Juve defender Giorgio Chiellini was booked in the opening minute when he handled the ball to prevent Joao Moutinho from breaking forward, after the Italy international had slipped in the middle of his own half. The hosts were unable to trouble Juventus shot-stopper Gianluigi Buffon with the resulting free-kick, but it was not long before they were on the attack again. The game's first meaningful chance came in the fifth minute when Monaco midfielder Kondogbia lashed wide of Buffon's net from 25 yards. Andrea Barzagli came close to turning the ball into the back of his own net in the 15th minute after playmaker Bernardo Silva sent a dangerous cross in from the right of the box, with the Juve defender prodding narrowly wide of Buffon's near post from close range. The home side continued to force the issue, with Kondogbia stinging Buffon's palms from the edge of the box in the 20th minute. Kondogbia then went down in the box after clashing with Arturo Vidal and Chiellini in the 36th minute, but referee Willie Collum waved play on. Juventus grew into the game as the half wore on and breached Monaco's defence in the dying stages of the first period, but Carlos Tevez could not capitalise, sending his shot just wide from around 25 yards out. The half-time whistle came at the wrong time for Juventus, with the visitors unable to build on their late spell of first-half pressure in the second period. Monaco almost broke the deadlock in the 50th minute when Moutinho's cross from the left caused chaos in the visitors' box, with Buffon failing in his bid to punch the ball to safety, but Patrice Evra was on hand to clear the danger on the line. The hosts came close again five minutes later when a mix-up in Juve's defence saw the ball fall kindly for substitute Dimitar Berbatov just inside the area, but Buffon came out quickly to thwart him. Bernardo dragged his first-time shot wide from the very edge of the penalty area in the 62nd minute as Monaco continued to throw everything at Juventus. Andrea Pirlo could have scored a late winner for Massimiliano Allegri's side in the 90th minute when he sent a thumping free-kick towards goal from 30 yards - but his effort clipped the woodwork.

MONACO - JUVENTUS 0 - 0 (Aggregate 0-1) Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015 - 08:45 P.M. Stade Louis II., Monaco Referee:‬ William Collum (Scotland) CL: Juve earn semi-final in Monaco Apr 22, 2015 Monaco laid siege to Juventus, but the Bianconeri hit the woodwork with Andrea Pirlo and reached the Champions League semi-final. Real Madrid beat 10-man Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the other semi-final. The Bianconeri had won the first leg 1-0 in Turin with a contentious Arturo Vidal penalty and this was their chance of reaching the semi-final for the first time in 12 years. Paul Pogba and Martin Caceres were still sidelined, but Vidal had recovered from tonsillitis and Andrea Barzagli’s return meant a switch to 3-5-2. Jeremy Toulalan missed the first leg, but he was back in the starting XI, though Ricardo Carvalho was ruled out and Nabil Dirar only fit for the bench. It was a disastrous start for Giorgio Chiellini, who slipped and stopped a counter-attack with his hand, earning a yellow card after 45 seconds. Geoffrey Kondogbia’s half-volley was off target as Juve were pinned back, then Barzagli put the ball out for a corner at the near post to terminate a fine Bernardo Silva passing move, risking an own goal. Gigi Buffon smothered a powerful but central Kondogbia strike and Joao Moutinho blasted over, while Danijel Subasic plucked a dangerous Andrea Pirlo pass away from Stephan Lichtsteiner. Chiellini risked a second yellow card for his challenge on Joao Moutinho’s ankle after 30 minutes. Layvin Kurzawa nodded over, then on 36 minutes Kondogbia tried to burst between Chiellini and Vidal, but strong penalty appeals were waved away as they sandwiched him. Juve had only two real chances right before half-time when Carlos Tevez pounced on a defensive error, but Alvaro Morata, Lichtsteiner and Pirlo failed to make the most of it. Moments later Tevez was again in a shooting position, but the curler whistled off target. They were very brief sparks of life after only 38 per cent possession in the first half. Dimitar Berbatov came on after the break in an even more attack-minded side. Bernardo Silva and Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco slipped in promising positions, then Patrice Evra hoofed clear after accidentally getting in Buffon’s way on a dangerous cross for Aymen Abdennour. The ball fell kindly for Berbatov and Buffon rushed off the line to palm it off his feet, while at the other end Morata failed to make the most of an inspired Pirlo cross-field pass. Berbatov would’ve been sent clear by a slide-rule assist, but Barzagli crucially intercepted. Juve actually went closest to scoring at the 89th minute, as a Pirlo free kick from 30 metres swerved to thump the outside of the post at the very top corner. Monaco 0-0 Juventus (0-1 agg) Monaco: Subasic; Fabinho, Raggi, Abdennour, Kurzawa; Joao Moutinho, Toulalan (Berbatov 46), Kondogbia; Bernardo Silva, Martial (Germain 76), Ferreira-Carrasco (Matheus Carvalho 87) Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Vidal (Pereyra 77), Pirlo, Marchisio, Evra; Tevez, Morata (Llorente 68) Ref: Collum (SCO)

MONACO - JUVENTUS 0 - 0 (Aggregate 0-1) Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015 - 08:45 P.M. Stade Louis II., Monaco Referee:‬ William Collum (Scotland) Monaco 0-0 Juventus (agg 0-1): Allegri's men scrape through to semi-finals A stalwart Bianconeri backline restricted the Ligue 1 side to few clear-cut chances and secured a place in the last four of the Champions League. Apr 22, 2015 Juventus are through to the Champions League semi-finals after their 0-0 draw with Monaco on Wednesday secured a 1-0 aggregate win. Arturo Vidal's first-leg penalty proved crucial in the tie as Massimiliano Allegri's men booked an elusive semi-final berth, having fallen short at the quarters three times since their run to the final 12 years ago. Allegri's men were made to work hard for their progression by a Monaco side that had shocked Arsenal in the previous round and conceded just twice at home in this season's competition. Geoffrey Kondogbia went close twice before the break while Leonardo Jardim's side saw penalty appeals turned down when the midfielder went down in the box. That pressure continued after the break with Juve surprisingly sluggish on the counterattack in their bid to kill off the tie. Monaco ultimately ran out of steam towards the end of a low-key second leg as Juve displayed typical defensive strength to stay on course for a domestic and continental treble. The hosts were perhaps made to pay for a first half that saw them make most of the running. Kondogbia flashed a fierce drive wide in a purposeful start before testing Gianluigi Buffon again from range 19 minutes in. A series of fouls from both sides also punctuated play although Jardim's men should perhaps have had a penalty when Kondogbia appeared to be bundled over inside the area. Vidal and Giorgio Chiellini clumsily sandwiched the Frenchman but Scottish referee William Collum waved away protests. Carlos Tevez offered a reminder of Juve's threat with a shot narrowly wide from distance prior to the interval. Throwing caution to the wind, Jardim introduced Dimitar Berbatov for Jeremy Toulalan at the interval and Monaco almost took the lead when Buffon flapped at a Joao Moutinho cross – though Patrice Evra was on hand to clear the loose ball. Buffon redeemed himself to come out and save from Berbatov after Juve lost possession in overplaying at the back. Juve gradually began to bring more composure to their game and kept hold of the ball well after the hour as they sought to see out the result and frustrate their hosts. Allegri's men could have wrapped up the tie in the dying embers when Andrea Pirlo's free-kick grazed the crossbar a minute from time. But any late Monaco surge failed to materialise, keeping Juve on course to add European silverware to their domestic dominance.

Partita di altri tempi: difesa sotto torchio, sofferenza e qualificazione.

Su á sasic

Incrocio dei pali di quello che doveva uscire secondo alcuni.

Sta per entrare l'ultimo attaccante del Monaco disponibile in panca.

Si gioca alle bocce?

Sono stanchi i francesi?

Entra Llorente, esce Morata.

Kondogbia é bravo ma non é Pogba

Si dorme alla grande.

p*****a maiala

Ma che é successo con Buffon?

MONACO - JUVENTUS - Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015 - 08:45 P.M. Stade Louis II., Monaco Referee:‬ William Collum (Scotland) HT 0-0: Monaco pin Juve back Apr 22, 2015 Monaco have pegged Juventus back into their own half, but the Bianconeri still lead on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-final. The Bianconeri had won the first leg 1-0 in Turin with a contentious Arturo Vidal penalty and this was their chance of reaching the semi-final for the first time in 12 years. Paul Pogba and Martin Caceres were still sidelined, but Vidal had recovered from tonsillitis and Andrea Barzagli’s return meant a switch to 3-5-2. Jeremy Toulalan missed the first leg, but he was back in the starting XI, though Ricardo Carvalho was ruled out and Nabil Dirar only fit for the bench. It was a disastrous start for Giorgio Chiellini, who slipped and stopped a counter-attack with his hand, earning a yellow card after 45 seconds. Geoffrey Kondogbia’s half-volley was off target as Juve were pinned back, then Barzagli put the ball out for a corner at the near post to terminate a fine Bernardo Silva passing move, risking an own goal. Gigi Buffon smothered a powerful but central Kondogbia strike and Joao Moutinho blasted over, while Danijel Subasic plucked a dangerous Andrea Pirlo pass away from Stephan Lichtsteiner. Chiellini risked a second yellow card for his challenge on Joao Moutinho’s ankle after 30 minutes. Layvin Kurzawa nodded over, then on 36 minutes Kondogbia tried to burst between Chiellini and Vidal, but strong penalty appeals were waved away as they sandwiched him. Juve had only two real chances right before half-time when Carlos Tevez pounced on a defensive error, but Alvaro Morata, Lichtsteiner and Pirlo failed to make the most of it. Moments later Tevez was again in a shooting position, but the curler whistled off target. Monaco 0-0 Juventus (Half-Time, 0-1 agg) Monaco: Subasic; Fabinho, Raggi, Abdennour, Kurzawa; Joao Moutinho, Toulalan, Kondogbia; Bernardo Silva, Martial, Ferreira-Carrasco Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Evra; Tevez, Morata Ref: Collum (SCO)

Bravo Tevez, di poco fuori.

Abbiamo perso una buona occasione.

David!

Qui abbiamo rischiato.

Monegaschi indiavolati.