Off-form for most of the day, Cristiano Ronaldo showed up when it mattered in earning and converting a controversial penalty in a 1-1 draw with 10-man AC Milan on Thursday in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semifinal tie.
Red-hot Ante Rebic and Milan nearly claimed control, but couldn’t hold onto the lead after Theo Hernandez was shown his second yellow card.
The two sides meet again March 4 in Turin. The other semifinal has Napoli leading Inter Milan 1-0 at the first leg in Milan.
Ronaldo was held without a shot on target until stoppage time, and Gianluigi Buffon was Juve’s star in the loss. The veteran goalkeeper kept the Old Lady in the match with nine saves.
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Rebic scored off a Samu Castillejo assist as Milan took the lead before despite the 71st minute sending off of Theo Hernandez.
The defending was less than ideal on Rebic’s goal, as the Croatian scored for the fifth time in six matches. Rebic has caught fire with regular playing time after getting little chance to show his stuff in his first 10 matches since signing on a two-year loan from Eintracht Frankfurt.
Guess who? Rebic again 🔥 5 goals in 6 games. Well and truly in form! #MilanJuve #CoppaItalia https://t.co/tEybOB2sUb
— Sacha Pisani (@Sachk0) February 13, 2020
Juventus had a lot of the ball, but AC Milan ripped off far more shots in the win. They carried an 18-7 advantage when Hernandez saw his second yellow card, but finished the day witha. 21-14 margin.
An airborne Davide Calabria was, we guess, supposed to know that Ronaldo’s overhead kick would strike the back of his elbow. Bad rule, correct call. Fix it.
The goal was Ronaldo’s eighth from the spot this season.
JUVENTUS ARE LEVEL!
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 13, 2020
Cristiano Ronaldo draws and converts the penalty to make it 1-1! pic.twitter.com/2PRcIUEm4Z