Awww, So Close

Teenage Frenchman Willy Aubameyang secured the Trofeo Berlusconi for Milan when his winning goal in the dying minutes killed off a spirited Juventus side. Pavel "I'm going to quit, I swear" Nedved cancelled out ex-Juve Filippo Inzaghi’s opener for the Bianconeri. Alessandro Del Piero gave Didier Deschamps' men the lead mid-way through the second the half before Clarence Seedorf drew the Rossoneri level seconds later.

It was an ill-fated first half for Juventus, who lost both of their central defenders, Jean-Alain Boumsong and Giorgio Chiellini, through injury. Although Boumsong’s calf injury does not seem serious, Chiellini could be out for three weeks after suffering a thigh strain. Raffaele Palladino, who limped off with a sprained left ankle, is less serious.

Deschamps will be disappointed in the injuries his side picked up today with the Serie B season ready to pickup again next week. He had this to say after the match:

"It would've been better to lose really badly on the field and emerge unscathed rather than play well and pick up new fitness problems. Unfortunately we lost both starting central defenders and Palladino also had a problem. I'd have preferred to be embarrassed here and keep the players for the upcoming Serie B games. Milan are strong and can hit the back of the net easily, but we can and should improve in defence. For the moment we have the best defence in the championship, but it's true we can still improve. Unfortunately to do that the players need to form an understanding with one another which only comes from playing together a great deal, and this, thanks to injuries, hasn’t been possible so far. This is not a decisive moment for the Championship. The last two months will be the crucial ones and we must be fresh at that stage. There are still 25 matches left and unfortunately we're starting again under the shadow of injuries. It's fortunate we have such a large squad."

Juve now get ready for a stern test that sees them have to play three league games in eight days. They travel east to Mantua to take on Mantova and then play at home twice against Cesena and Bari. The Bianconeri are currently currently third in the table with a game in hand, one point behind joint-leaders Rimini and Piacenza. [International Herald Tribune, Juventus official site, Channel 4]

In other Juve news:

• Sandro Salvadore, star of the great Juventus sides of the 1960s and 70s, passed away this week. In his 450 appearances for the Juventus, the defender scored 17 times. [UEFA official site]
• Not tired of flapping his gums, Gianluigi Buffon talks to the one group that will always listen. According to his agent, the club wouldn't stand in his way if he wanted to leave. [Channel 4]

-ac