Agencies
Monaco, April 23
Juventus have booked their place in the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in 13 years courtesy of a 1-0 aggregate victory over AS Monaco.
The Old Lady picked up a narrow 1-0 triumph in the first leg last week and successfully held out for a goalless draw at the Stade Louis II this evening to secure their place in the last four.
The hosts went into the match knowing that the onus was on them to score, and they threatened within six minutes as Geoffrey Kondogbia chipped the ball up to himself before volleying just wide from outside the box.
The urgency was clearly with the principality, and Kondogbia came close again with a drive that this time forced Gianluigi Buffon into action, shortly after Andrea Barzagli had bundled the ball narrowly past his own post.
Joao Moutinho was the next to come close for Monaco as his effort from just outside the box deflected narrowly over, and that profligacy was almost punished late in the half when Juventus created their first opening of the night.
The Serie A champions won the ball inside the Monaco half and immediately burst forward, with Carlos Tevez leading the charge before firing a shot narrowly past the far post from 20 yards.The hosts upped the tempo again at the start of the second half and almost broke the deadlock five minutes after the restart when Buffon failed to collect Layvin Kurzawa’s cross, only for Patrice Evra to hack the ball clear.
Juve quickly stemmed the tide, however, and Massimiliano Allegri’s side successfully kept Monaco at arm’s length for the majority of the second half as they edged ever closer to the last four of the Champions League for the first time since 2002-03.
The visitors almost wrapped things up once and for all right at the end of the match when Andrea Pirlo sent a swerving free kick towards goal, but it came crashing back off the post with the keeper beaten.
That was not to prove important, however, as Juventus held on for a draw on the night that was all they needed to confirm their place in the semi-finals alongside Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
