In the current scheme of things, the best Juventus can do is fight for a top-four finish. After their 3-2 win over Serie A winners Inter Milan last night, they look confident in their hunt for a Champions League qualification.
The mood in the Juve dugout is upbeat, and captain Giorgio Chiellini’s gushing tweet is proof. After the game, Chiellini took to Twitter to say, “We fought, suffered and won…until the end!!!” Juve ended Inter’s 20-match winning streak with a game that saw three spot kicks and two red cards.
But Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo thinks his team could have done better this season. “It was important for us to win so we can keep hoping. If we’d shown the same desire and determination as in our last few games, we’d be in a different position. If we’re going into the final game of the season fighting for fourth place, clearly we’ve come up short somewhere,” Pirlo was quoted as saying by AFP.
How It Went
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 29th goal of the season in the 24th minute. He first missed the penalty but then managed to tap in the rebound. The next goal, barely nine minutes later, belonged to Inter Milan, as Romelu Lukaku scored his 23rd of the season off a penalty. The balance again shifted in Juve’s favour when Juan Cuadrado left goalie Samir Handanovic stunned right before half-time. Chiellini’s men played the entire second half with a man down, as midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off after collecting his second yellow card.
The drama continued as Ronaldo was substituted with 20 minutes to go, followed by an own goal by Chiellini. But then there was another penalty that came as a blessing for Juventus as Ivan Perisic committed a foul on Cuadrado.
The 88th-minute spot kick was successfully converted by Cuadrado, changing the Juventus body language completely. Marcelo Brozovic scored in stoppage time before being sent out, but it was too late for Inter to pull things back.
“This is a massive win. I don’t know if it will help us qualify for the Champions League but at the moment we deserve the position we’re in. We haven’t been consistent enough and we know that,” Chiellini said.
Zinedine Zidane to leave Real Madrid?
Zinedine Zidane might quit as manager of Real Madrid by the end of this season, according to Goal. Zidane, who has a contract with the Spanish club till 2022, has reportedly told his team that this season would be his last. More so, Zidane has also sent out signals which hint at an exit.
“There comes a time when it's the moment to change. I don't leave because it's easy. It's not like I turn away and don't look back. No, there are moments when you have to be there and there are moments when that's it, it's finished, it's time to change. But for the good of everyone, not just for me,” Zidane said during a media interaction on Saturday.
When he was asked whether he was really on his way out, he said, “I can only say the same thing. I don't know what will happen. I'm here now, yes, and tomorrow we are going to play. Then we will have one match left.”
Zidane had earlier resigned from his post soon after Real Madrid’s three consecutive Champions League triumphs in 2018. He then was brought back as manager after Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari failed to steady the ship for the Blancos.
