24 June 2018
The month of April would, as always, be a massive one for Massimiliano Allegri's men as the Champions League quarter-final vs Real Madrid and huge league matches against Napoli and Inter would stand between the Bianconeri and the final month of the season.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE BATTLE TO REMEMBER
Allianz Stadium was packed to the rafters on 3 April as Real Madrid visited for the first leg of the quarter-finals. It would be a night of frustration for the Bianconeri as the visitors from Spain won 0-3 on the night with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring an unforgettable overhead kick that will be replayed for years to come. However...
The fightback was well and truly on at the Bernabeu. A stunning Mario Mandzukic first half double had the Bianconeri within a goal on aggregate at halftime...
And somehow...someway...Blaise Matuidi poked home mid-way through the second half to bring the Bianconeri level 3-3 on aggregate and up 0-3 at the Bernabeu on the night.
We all know what happened next, but no matter the result, it was a match that left us feeling nothing but proud of our Bianconeri warriors.
FIVE SERIE A SHOWDOWNS
The first league match of the month saw the Bianconeri play at Benevento for the very first time. It was goals galore as the back of the net would be found six times combined with Paulo Dybala scoring his third hat-trick of the season.
However, this peach from Douglas Costa was certainly the pick of the bunch...
It was a frustrating season for newly-added Benedikt Howedes as the German international was limited to just three appearances as he dealt with injury issues, but certainly the high point of his season came on 15 April as he found the back of the net in a comprehensive 3-0 win over Sampdoria.
Any title race has many twists and turns, and the next week would be a difficult one as a 1-1 draw away to Crotone and last-second loss to Napoli at Allianz Stadium saw the table tighten up considerably with four matches left putting a seventh consecutive Scudetto in doubt.
THE ULTIMATE RESPONSE
28 April. A final trip to the San Siro in 2017/18. A final Derby d'Italia of the season. Everything on the line.
In perhaps the most memorable night of the season, the Bianconeri took a first-half lead over Inter, but the hosts battled back to take a 2-1 advantage late into the match. A Bianconeri loss would have been potentially devastating, but we saw what this team was made of.
Juan Cuadrado's deflected effort pulled Juve level in the 87th minute and then literally seconds later, Paulo Dybala's free kick found the head of Gonzalo Higuain to steal three points that meant Juve needed just four points from their last three matches to earn another Serie A title.
AWAY FROM THE PITCH
Off the pitch, two big moments marked April as at Milan Design Week, Juventus unveiled UNDICI, a new Juventus-branded experience format...
And the Bianconeri will be taking our talents stateside once again this summer heading to the United States for four thrilling matches as part of the International Champions Cup and MLS All-Star Game!
Finally, the MVP of the month was none other than The Flash Douglas Costa who wowed us all month with his speed, skill and finishing.
