AC Milan Edge Past Juventus Thanks to a Freak Goal to Seal Supercoppa Final Berth

04 Jan 2025 ScoreWaves Staff view

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AC Milan have stamped their ticket to the Italian Super Cup final after edging out Juventus by a scoreline of 2-1. Despite going behind, the Rossoneri found a way to secure a win in Sergio Conceicao’s first game as Milan’s manager. Now, Milan will play their city rivals, Inter, in the final of the competition.

Sergio Conceição’s first match in charge of Milan was packed with drama from the get-go. Facing a Juventus side that hadn't tasted defeat in 14 games, the odds were stacked against him. But the real twist came with the potential for a father-son showdown—Conceição's son, Francisco, was set to start for Juventus. But just as the game was about to kick off, disaster struck: Francisco picked up an injury during the warm-ups, and in came Kenan Yildiz to take his place. And boy, did Yildiz make an impact! In the 21st minute, he latched onto a gorgeous through ball from Samuel Mbangula and unleashed an absolute thunderbolt into the top-right corner of Milan’s net. Despite some chances, the Bianconeri held their narrow one-goal advantage at the break.

After the break, Juventus wasted no time in asserting their control again. Yildiz, looking to double Juve’s lead, came agonizingly close with a powerful shot from the edge of the box, but Mike Maignan pulled off a stunning save. The rebound fell to Dusan Vlahovic, who couldn’t quite capitalize, firing high and wide. Milan then had a golden opportunity to level the score when a corner kick found Theo Hernández in a prime position. But, somehow, he sent his shot over the bar from close range. As the game finally began to open up, it was Milan’s turn to strike. In the 71st minute, Nicolò Savona fouled Hernández inside the box, gifting Milan a penalty. Christian Pulisic stepped up and made no mistake, sending the ball straight down the middle past Juventus keeper Michele Di Gregorio to pull Milan level.

Just four minutes later, the Rossoneri turned the game on its head thanks to a freak own-goal by Federico Gatti. Yunus Musah tried to cross the ball from Milan’s right wing, but the ball took a wicked deflection of Gatti and trickled into the net after Di Gregorio had come out of his line to collect the cross. With Milan now leading, it was on Juventus to find an equalizer and they very nearly did in the dying embers of the match. However, Gatti’s volleyed effort whistled inches over the bar, handing Milan their second straight trip to the Supercoppa Italiana final. The final is scheduled to take place on 6th January at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Also Read: Denzel Dumfries at the Double as Inter Milan Advance Into Supercoppa Italiana Final