With Juventus holding a 2-0 lead going into their home leg of the Champions League semi-final, the feeling was that Monaco would need a miraculous comeback to overturn the deficit. When Juventus scored twice in the first half, the miracle began to look impossible.
Ultimately, although Kylian Mbappe got a goal back for the away side, the result was as expected as the Old Lady progressed through to their sixth Champions League final.
But, we’ve picked out three things you may have missed from the Champions League semi-final second leg.
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HIGUAIN AND FALCAO’S REUNION
11 years ago Higuain and Falcao played together at River Plate.
— Oddschecker (@Oddschecker) May 9, 2017
Tonight they face to reach the Champions League final! pic.twitter.com/ASJjlApCds
Somehow, the fact that Radamel Falcao and Gonzalo Higuain were once teammates at Argentinian side River Plate escaped the attention of the Internet ahead of last week’s first leg.
However, this image of the two as youngsters began doing the rounds before kick-off on Tuesday, with the duo scarcely recognisable compared to the grizzled veterans they’ve become.
DR. BUFFON EXPLAINS GOALKEEPING
The art of goalkeeping in the words of @gianluigibuffon 👐#UCL pic.twitter.com/HyrQzdV4qv
— Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 9, 2017
Normally, when a footballer is compared to a surgeon, it’s usually an attacking player being lauded for precision passing that cuts defences open.
Gianluigi Buffon is no normal footballer, of course.
The legendary Juventus goalkeeper explained why his job is much like a surgeon’s, and the Champions League Twitter handle decided to put out a clip of this in the build-up to Tuesday’s game.
JUVENTUS – COCKY OR CONFIDENT?
Juventus Stadium 😍 ☀️#ItsTime for Cardiff... #FINOALLAFINE 👊⚪️⚫️ #UCL pic.twitter.com/m0HWlUn5fl
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) May 9, 2017
Juventus’ display at the stadium showed off a simple, obvious message: “Time for Cardiff”.
They did come into this home leg with a two-goal lead, so they could be forgiven for thinking that their spot in the Champions League final was more or less booked.
Whether it was simply a reminder that it was time for the time to get back into the final, or a cheeky show of confidence, Juventus backed it up with an imperious display on the pitch.