Juventus-Milan 2-0: goals from Mbangula e Weah

From our correspondent Luca Bianchin

January 18, 2025 (changed at 8.17pm) – TORINO

In the old newborn dilemma – is he more like his father or his mother? – for Milan and Juve there is no doubt: they resemble the coach. Juve wins the direct Champions League clash with a game of possession and rhythm management that Thiago Motta does a lot: 2-0, goals from Mbangula and Timothy Weah. Like Thiago Motta, Vlahovic’s extended benching, out until the 83rd minute, and Mbangula’s goal, more than anything a creation of the man from Bologna, do a lot. Milan, on the other hand, is already sensationally a Conceiçao team. In Riyadh we had seen the good: cynicism, resilience, determination. Here are all the limits: long waiting phases with a team closed in front of Maignan and attackers almost never called upon. And to think that something, especially Leao, would have to say. Ranking: Juve reaches 37, overtaking (for now) Lazio and is third. Milan is now eighth and takes the binoculars: Thiago Motta is 6 points away.

i gol: mbangula-weah

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The match was decided between 14′ and 19′ of the second half, when Juve scored twice. Great premise: if football is sometimes random, here it is scientific. Juve dominated from the final part of the first half. The advantage comes from a combination with defense deployed. One of many, except that, when Nico Gonzalez widens towards the left for Mbangula, Emerson Royal is very narrow, close to the central defenders. So narrow that, when Mbangula curls a shot from inside the area, he doesn’t tackle but simply deflects towards the goal, deceiving Maignan who is already stretched out. The doubling comes from a ball lost by Fofana: Thuram does well to send Weah into space for a one-on-one with Tomori. Tim, son of George, aims, dribbles and kicks: perfect. On the sidelines, questions. If Milan hadn’t defended so poorly, would they have conceded the first goal? And why was the defense so exposed when Fofana lost the ball?

what game was it?

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The match was a distant cousin of the first leg. Thiago Motta was behind him at San Siro, “that we are numbered and full of injured players”. And Milan, who had preferred Musah to Chukwueze to make things clear, had not been able to do better than level up. Not here, Thiago gives battle, goes to attack high, places McKennie as an unprecedented right back and lays siege. Milan are a little surprised, they are a little Conceiçao’s team, so be especially careful from behind. And then he lowers himself, at times like a little one, and tries to surprise with a play. The first half is very black and white in play – 68% ball possession – but balanced on occasions. In the first 11 minutes, Leao had two goals, one coming from a through ball from Reijnders (and Rafa, an esthete at heart, instead of looking for the goal he put his heel in), another on the Reijnders-Musah axis: deflected shot from an old friend, Pierre Kalulu. Juve, on the other hand, plays the game, kicks around with Mbangula (8th minute) and has hope when an unfortunate pass from Musah forces Maignan into a risk-avoiding split (16th minute). However, Milan, as they are, are dangerous at this stage. An applause-worthy corner scheme in the 19th minute frees Reijnders into the area: the shot is good, but the rebound between Locatelli and Tomori favors Juve. Then, in the 27th minute, a first: the double wasted opportunity. Di Gregorio is super on Leao, Gatti saves on Theo and generates a counterattack with Yildiz who frees Nico Gonzalez, terrible for the way he first gets Tomori to come back, then counters the shot.

the key moment

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It’s the signal, because here the game changes. Juve accelerates and in the 36th minute they have another XL opportunity: there is a restart and Cambiaso, diagonally, misses Nico Gonzalez but catches Yildiz. On paper, it is the best possible situation for Juve, with their best player ahead of Maignan. In reality it becomes yet another waste, because Kenan crosses badly with his right. The first half ends – there is still time to see Leao free Theo with an unusual header in the area, blocked by Gatti -, Yildiz comes off due to a sore adductor but the track is written. Weah enters and George’s son has the first big chance of the second half after 8 minutes: arriving in the area from the right, he kicks hard at Maignan. Finished? No. Theo handles the ball very badly on the rebound and gives an opportunity to Koopmeiners, who does well to find his way to the goal: on his left, Maignan puts a corner with… buttock. The goal is in the air and in fact two arrive in five minutes, with Milan’s only possible change in between, announced: Jimenez for Bennacer. The match, at 2-0, necessarily changes because Milan pushes forward. Conceiçao brings in Camarda first, then even Jovic for Abraham, with an attempt to unfreeze the center forward who has been invisible for months. What changes? Nothing. Di Gregorio risks the most with a free kick from Theo kicked hard but wide, then it’s cold and a long wait for the final whistle.

Juve in great growth

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So, first quick assessments. Juve confirmed the messages from Bergamo – there is life on the black and white planet – and showed an excellent condition. He won at home in Serie A, and it hadn’t happened since November 9th, above all he gave a boost to the standings and prepared in the best possible way for the Nice week with Bruges and Naples, which will say a lot about the spring ambitions in Europe and Italy. Thuram and Locatelli did well in the middle, Mbangula did well, Weah did well from the bench: the team is there. The Vlahovic issue remains but Kolo Muani, bureaucracy permitting, will lend a hand.

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very ugly milan

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Milan, on the other hand, returns to Milan with the clear idea that from today, definitively, it is not and will no longer be Fonseca’s team. Fonseca had the mantra of possession, Conceiçao’s Milan left the ball and, when he could, looked up to the left, for Leao’s counterattack launch. Other principles, other life. How’s the transition going? Bad. With Leao-Theo-Reijnders, sooner or later we will find a way to be dangerous but this Milan, as well as being anti-historic, has nothing of the team that can recover for a Champions League place. He creates little, has no ideas, is compact at best. In the first half he had chances but, when the game was decided, he had nothing to say. Singles: Bennacer isn’t him and up front, without Morata, Abraham was little more than zero. The market will help but, looking now, it seems that everything needs to be sorted out. Nice puzzle.