AC Milan’s faint hopes of winning the Scudetto have been extinguished after a 0-0 draw against Juventus at San Siro. The result leaves Max Allegri’s side with no mathematical chance of catching the league leaders, ending their slim title aspirations.
Luka Modric pulled the strings in midfield for Juventus, while Allegri made only one change from the team that beat Hellas Verona last week, bringing in Saelemaekers for Athekame on the right flank. Luciano Spalletti, meanwhile, made minimal adjustments, with Khéphren Thuram replacing Holm, while Kenan Yildiz remained on the bench as he continues to struggle with fitness issues.
The first meaningful chance came in the 22nd minute when Fofana cut in from the right and fired a shot wide of Di Gregorio’s post, barely testing the Juventus goalkeeper. Manuel Locatelli, despite being jeered on his return to San Siro, gradually took control of the match, while Rafael Leao tried to create opportunities on his own. Juventus grew into the game and exploited a gap on Milan’s left flank. In the 35th minute, Conceiçao delivered a dangerous cross to the far post, where Thuram scored from an offside position. Moments later, Conceiçao again got past the Milan defense and rounded the goalkeeper, but his effort was ruled out.
Allegri was forced to act at halftime, replacing the booked and struggling Bartesaghi with Pervis Estupiñán. The Ecuadorian settled well and stifled Conceiçao’s forays down the right. Juventus lost momentum, and in the 50th minute, Saelemaekers rattled the crossbar with a powerful right-footed shot after Leao’s brilliant run down the left. Allegri then introduced a more traditional target man in Niclas Füllkrug to add presence in the box.
Spalletti took longer to freshen up his side, with Holm and Koopmeiners not entering until after the 70th minute, and Kenan Yildiz only coming on with less than 15 minutes to go. Just before the substitution, Modric and Locatelli clashed heads, leaving both groggy. Modric took the worst of it and couldn’t continue. The match was paused for several minutes, but neither side could find a winner, settling for a point that mathematically ends Milan’s Scudetto hopes and leaves Juventus just three points above Como in fourth place.