Cristiano Ronaldo missed a rare penalty as Juventus made the Italian Cup final despite a goalless draw with AC Milan in the second leg of the semi-final in Rome on Friday. The contest also marked the return of football in Italy three months after coronavirus pandemic began wreaking havoc across the world.
Juventus entered the final on away goal having earlier drawn their game against Milan 1-1 in February at the San Siro. However, the Serie A champions missed a golden opportunity to take lead as early as the 15th minute when Ronaldo hit the woodwork when Andre Conti’s handball in the penalty area resulted in a spot-kick.
Soon Milan found themselves a man short when Ante Rebic was sent off for kicking Danilo in the head.
Both the teams were guilty of missing multiple opportunities with the contest being played in an empty stadium on the same day when Euro 2020 was scheduled to get underway.
“It was odd and difficult at the start, playing in an empty stadium after 90 days away,” Leonardo Bonucci was quoted as saying by news agency AFP. “We’ve shaken off a dark moment for the whole world. I hope being back will offer the fans at home a bit of hope and joy. We want to give them something more on Wednesday.”
Both the teams showed their supports towards the anti-racism protests going across the world. Juventus players wore t-shirts bearing the message “No Racism” while Milan’s read “Black Lives Matter”.
A minute’s silence was also observed before the kickoff as a tribute to those who lost their lives due to the deadly virus.
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