Old Lady needs time to regain vigour, says Sarri
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty in Juventus' 0-0 draw against AC Milan in the second leg of the Italian Cup semi-finals on Friday. But the Turin club progressed on away goals thanks to their 1-1 result in Milan on Feb 13.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
TURIN • Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri believes patience is needed for his side to get back to 100 per cent as Italian football returned on Friday following the three-month coronavirus-enforced hiatus.
Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty - his second failed attempt in two seasons at the club - as Juve were held to a 0-0 home draw by 10-man AC Milan, but the Old Lady still squeezed into Wednesday's Italian Cup final.
They qualified on away goals following their 1-1 draw in the first leg of the semi-final, played on Feb 13, and face either Napoli or Inter Milan who played yesterday.
The two key moments happened within six seconds of each other early in the match played behind closed doors at the Allianz Stadium.
Juve were awarded a penalty in the 16th minute after the VAR officials spotted the ball hitting Andrea Conti's elbow but Ronaldo, whose late penalty in the first leg turned out to be decisive, slammed his effort against the foot of the post.
Milan cleared the ball but in the process, forward Ante Rebic tried to kick Danilo and was sent off.
"Clearly after three months, getting back to the touchline and seeing the teams out there is a good sensation, even if it's not the same without the fans," said Sarri.
"I was very surprised and satisfied with our opening 30 minutes, as we moved the ball so quickly.
"After that, we slowly dropped our tempo, intensity and mental determination. We had been doing so well, but then we slowed down and lost some sharpness. It's going to take a while to get the fitness and mentality back to 100 per cent."
The Italian Serie A returns on June 20, while local media reported on Friday that the government has agreed that if a footballer tests positive for Covid-19, he must be isolated but the rest of the squad can continue training and playing if they all test negative.
This is the same rule used in Germany's Bundesliga and other countries where seasons have restarted.
Previously, the whole squad would have had to go into quarantine for 14 days, forcing their matches during that period to be postponed and the completion of the season to be in doubt.
However, there was no immediate confirmation of the report from the government or the Italian Football Federation.
REUTERS
