Juventus have one foot in the Champions League Final after a superb win in Monaco

AS Monaco face an uphill struggle to qualify for the Champions League Final after succumbing to a 0-2 defeat against the Italian Champions.

Two superb teams goals finished by Gonzalo Higuaín gave Juventus the edge in their Champions League Semi-Final against Monaco. Going into the game, the Monegasques had averaged three goals a game in this season’s knock-out phase of Europe’s premier club competition and were expected to trouble Juve’s defence.

However, neither Kylian Mbappé nor Radamel Falcao were able to transform any of their chances into shots which would test Gianluigi Buffon. Monaco were mostly restricted to shots from range. Their best chance came courtesy of Valère Germain whose last-minute header was tipped over the bar by the veteran Italian goalkeeper. These fleeting glimpses of Monaco’s attacking players were eclipsed by Juve’s brilliance.

Claudio Marchisio, who only recently returned from a knee injury, replaced suspended Sami Khedira, and played an instrumental role in Juventus’ control of the game, sauntering around the pitch of the Stade Louis-II as if he were going for a relaxing stroll in the park.

For their first goal, Marchisio sent a majestic pass to Paulo Dybala whose majestic flick allowed the ball to glide along the pitch, were it reached Higuaín, who passed to Dani Alves, who resisted pressure from Monaco defenders to pull the ball back to Higuaín with a delightfully audacious back-heel. The Argentine striker then finished the move with a unique mixture of finesse and consummate ease leaving Monaco’s goalkeeper Danijel Subašić only able to watch helplessly as Higuaín’s first away goal in the Champions League thundered into the back of the net. The Argentine’s elation at reaching this milestone was made evident by the 400m jog he attempted to celebrate with the Juventus supporters as part of his goal celebration.

GOAL ! 0-1 , Cracking team goal, finished well by #Higuain after a beautiful back heeled assist by #DaniAlves ??? #MONJUV pic.twitter.com/TiNba4rtTP

— PS FOOTBALL (@_ps_football) May 3, 2017

More was to come. Despite being accosted by several Monaco defenders determined to block his advance on goal mid-way through the second-half, Dybala retained possession and passed to Dani Alves on the wing, who then delivered an inch-perfect pass to Higuaín, whose clinical finish gave Juventus a vitally important second away goal, with such style and ease that those watching the match were left to wonder if the Monaco midfield had taken the night off.

GOAL! 0-2! #Higuain again! ⚽️⚽️#MONJUV #ASMJuve pic.twitter.com/JGDetDuXkF

— Rush Football (@RushFootball_) May 3, 2017

However, the match was not without controversy. Questions over refereeing during the knock-out phase of the tournament reared themselves again in this match. Chiellini arguably should have been sent off for elbowing Falcao but was only booked. A later foul created further doubt as to why the Italian was still on the pitch, particularly as his presence in defence proved pivotal as Monaco desperately sought a goal as the match drew to a close.

Nonetheless Juve deserved to win and were the better team on the night. ‘The Old Lady’ gave this young Monaco team a lesson in how to play at the highest level. Monaco now need to score twice in Turin to have any hope of playing in the Champions League Final in Cardiff on 3rd June. Their supporters will be hoping that star striker Mbappé can produce yet another moment of brilliance in front of goal.