AC Milan 0-1 Juventus (AET): Alvaro Morata's extra-time strike clinches Coppa Italia victory By Simeon Gholam
Last Updated: 21/05/16 10:25pm
Alvaro Morata came off the bench to score an extra-time winner for Juventus as they beat AC Milan 1-0 to clinch the Coppa Italia. The Spanish striker emerged from the sidelines in the 108th minute, and fired the vital goal just two minutes later at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday night. The result secured a second consecutive domestic double for Juventus, becoming the first Italian team in history to achieve that particular feat. For AC Milan, it's now five years since they last won a trophy, and it also means they'll be without European football next season. Thirty-four points separated the sides at the end of the Serie A season, but you wouldn't have been able to tell that from an opening 45 minutes as seventh-placed Milan dominated the champions.
Cristian Brocchi's side got out of the traps early and did superbly to quell an out-of-sorts Juventus, but failed to convert possession and territory into any real chances.
Too often Milan worked the ball into great positions, but failed to produce anything of any real note in terms of a final pass, cross or shot. Davide Calabria was perhaps more guilty than most. On a number of occasions the right-back found space down the flank for Milan, but he managed to turn hitting the first man with his crosses into something of an art form over the course of the first hour.
Paul Pogba, so often the inspiration for Juventus, cut a largely frustrated figure in the middle of the park for most of normal time, too often trying to take the game to Milan on his own.
One of his runs into the box did, however, produce arguably their best chance of the game after 69 minutes, as he latched onto substitute Alex Sandro's fine reverse pass before seeing his effort almost deflected just inside the near post. But 17-year-old Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma got down to it well to keep it out.
Neither side was good enough, in truth, to deserve the victory in 90 minutes, but the attacking quality didn't really improve in extra-time either.
It didn't help that Juve's attacking pair of Mario Mandzukic and Pablo Dybala were having a collective shocker, while Carlos Bacca wasn't doing much better at the other end for Milan.
It took 104 minutes for the Colombian to have anything approaching a sight of goal, and even then it wasn't an easy chance by any means. A loose header from Giorgio Chiellini dropped to him in space in the box, but he couldn't quite squeeze his overhead bicycle kick under the bar.
Juventus boss Max Allegri waited until the second half of extra-time to unleash Morata, but his decision to do so paid off almost immediately.
A Juventus break saw another substitute in Juan Cuadrado released down the right, before his lifted cross was finished first time with a superb clinical touch by Morata at the far post.
Milan responded straight away as Brocchi threw on Mario Balotelli for the closing minutes, but the man known for drama couldn't create any more as Juventus held on for victory.
http://www.skysports.com/football/ac-milan-vs-juventus/report/354638
