19 January 2023
Juventus made it 18 matches unbeaten at home in the Coppa Italia with a 2-1 win over Monza in the Round of 16. Moise Kean had given Juve an early lead, canceled out on 25 minutes.
However, Federico Chiesa's comeback goal restored the Bianconeri's advantage with 12 minutes to play as the number seven definitively put his injury woes behind him.
THE MATCH
Six of the Juventus starting XI had come through the Bianconeri Academy as Massimiliano Allegri turned to youth to kick off this season’s Coppa Italia campaign. What’s more, seven of the starters were 24 or under.
And it was the youth factor that created the early chances. On five minutes Samuel Iling Junior showed his impressive turn of pace as he raced at the Monza defence. The winger’s cross reached Nicolò Fagioli, whose side footer went close.
Three minutes later again Fagioli was involved as he linked up with Matias Soulé in midfield. The Argentine teeanger burst forward and fed a pass into the path of Weston McKennie. A pin-point cross from the US international picked out Moise Kean, who glanced his header into the net from the six-yard line.
Juventus, however, did not press home their early advantage and were pegged back by the visitors from a corner kick on 25 minutes. No one followed the run of Mattia Valoti, who like Kean, headed home from close range.
In an open contest, there were plenty of flashes of skill, but neither goalkeeper was seriously tested apart from another run from Iling which forced a finger tip save from Alessio Cragno.
At the break there was no splitting the two teams.
Immediately after the restart Kean had a chance to restore the lead with his personal double after he was played through from a cross field pass. The striker found himself one-on-one but fired his shot straight at Cragno, who blocked the effort with his shin.
Monza replied with a couple of efforts from Andrea Colpani. The 23-year-old fired his first shot over the crossbar, his second brought out a tidy save from Mattia Perin.
As the game entered the closing 15 minutes, the effect of the flurry of substitutes began to make an impact on proceedings.
Ángel Di María’s first real involvement saw him deliver a dangerous cross into the area, which reached Danilo. The captain’s shot was deflected off the crossbar by a Monza defender. The rebound broke to Kean, who touched the ball into the net, but his celebrations were cut short after he was flagged for offside.
However, Juve’s second goal was just around the corner and it arrived for a flash of magic from another sub on the night. Federico Chiesa ran at the Monza defence, shrugged off a challenge from full-back Valentin Antov and picked out a curling shot into the top corner.
Di María almost added a third in the final minutes with an outrageous rabona, which was saved by Cragno.
As it was the touch of class from Chiesa proved to be a worthy winner as Juve booked their place in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals for the 16th consecutive season, where they will meet Lazio.
JUVENTUS 2-1 MONZA
Scorers: 9′ Kean; 25′ Valoti (M); 78′ Chiesa
Juventus: Perin; Gatti, Rugani, Danilo; Soulé, Fagioli (74′ Di Maria), Paredes, Miretti (60′ Locatelli), Iling-Junior (74′ Alex Sandro); Soulé (60′ Chiesa), Kean (82′ Milik). Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Bremer, Barbieri, Kostic. Coach: Landucci (Allegri suspended)
Monza: Cragno; Marlon, Pablo Marì, Carboni (57′ Carlos Augusto); Antov (82′ Sensi), Pessina (Rovella), Ranocchia, D’Alessandro (67′ Izzo); Colpani, Valoti (67′ Vignato); Gytkjaer. Subs not used: Lamanna, Sorrentino, Caldirola, Barberis, Petagna, Bondo, Ciurria, Machin, Colombo, Ferraris. Coach: Palladino
Referee: Pezzuto
Bookings: Antov (M), Rovella (M)
