AC Milan Triumphs Over Juventus to Reach Italian Super Cup Final
In a thrilling encounter that had fans on the edge of their seats, AC Milan managed to secure a spot in the Italian Super Cup final by overcoming Juventus with a 2-1 victory. This match marked the debut of Sérgio Conceição as Milan’s manager, and what a debut it was! The victory sets up an exciting derby decider with Inter Milan.
The stage is now set for a Milan showdown in Monday’s final. Inter Milan, the reigning Serie A champions, had previously secured their place in the final by defeating Atalanta 2-0 in their semifinal clash on Thursday. Conceição, who took over the reins from the sacked Paulo Fonseca, has a golden opportunity to clinch a trophy in his very first week at the helm.
One of the anticipated storylines of the match was the potential father-son face-off, as Juventus winger Francisco Conceição was set to play against his father, Sérgio. However, this intriguing subplot was dashed when Francisco was forced to withdraw due to an injury sustained during the warm-up.
Taking Francisco’s place was Kenan Yildiz, who quickly made his presence felt. After a cautious start to the game, it was Yildiz who broke the deadlock in the 21st minute. A clever through pass from Samuel Mbangula caught the Milan defense off guard, allowing Yildiz to charge into the area and unleash a powerful shot that beat Milan’s keeper Mike Maignan at his near post.
The second half kicked off with Yildiz once again in the thick of the action, narrowly missing the target with a shot in the opening seconds. Moments later, he delivered a low cross into the box, but Dusan Vlahovic failed to capitalize, sending his effort wide.
Milan’s fortunes began to change when they were presented with a golden opportunity to equalize from a corner. The ball fell to Theo Hernández, but he astonishingly sent his shot over the bar from close range.
The game finally opened up, and Milan was awarded a penalty in the 71st minute after Nicolò Savona fouled Hernández. Christian Pulisic stepped up and coolly converted the penalty, sending the ball straight down the middle past Michele Di Gregorio.
Just four minutes later, Milan took the lead through an own goal. A cross from Yunus Musah took a wicked deflection off Juventus defender Federico Gatti, sending the ball past Di Gregorio, who had come off his line.
After the match, Sérgio Conceição shared his thoughts with SportMediaset, saying, “For our second-half performance, we deserved the final. In the first half, I saw a Milan with many doubts, like a few weeks ago. Then we spoke at half-time. We had to understand what we had to do to win, and they were really brave.”
As the clock ticked down, Juventus had one last chance to level the score and force penalties, but Gatti’s volleyed effort from close range went just wide.
After the final whistle, the Milan manager shared a heartfelt embrace with his son before celebrating with his players. Conceição now faces the challenge of preventing Inter from claiming their fourth consecutive Super Cup trophy. “The second half was completely different, but we haven’t done anything yet,” Conceição remarked. “We have one less day of rest, and this is an important factor.”
- AC Milan vs. Inter Milan in the final
- Conceição’s debut as Milan manager
- Juventus’ Francisco Conceição misses father-son clash
- Christian Pulisic scores crucial penalty
- Federico Gatti’s own goal seals Juventus’ fate
Originally Written by: ESPN
