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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Nicky Bandini

Milan face derby day of reckoning as Juve clash falls flat on shabby stage

Milan v Juventus felt like a diminished spectacle even before a first-half injury forced Zlatan Ibrahimovic to be replaced.
Milan v Juventus felt like a diminished spectacle even before injury forced Zlatan Ibrahimovic to be replaced. Photograph: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images

It was supposed to be one of those Sunday night spectacles that define a Serie A season. Milan, second in the table and needing a win to keep pace in the title race, up against Juventus, fifth and fighting for their Champions League lives. Two of the giants of Italian football squaring off at San Siro, the country’s grandest arena.

Juventus were yet to beat any of the teams ahead of them in the table – Milan, Inter, Napoli or Atalanta. But their manager, Massimiliano Allegri, had never lost in 18 career meetings with his Rossonero counterpart Stefano Pioli. This was an occasion for someone to rewrite the narratives. Instead, all the pens ran dry.

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