Higuain stars as Juventus outclass Monaco in Champions League semi-final
Two-goal hero Gonzalo Higuain urged his Juventus teammates to maintain their focus despite their 2-0 win in Monaco on Wednesday night that left them on the brink of the Champions League final.
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The Argentine hitman was set up by Dani Alves to open the scoring in the 29th minute and then converted an Alves cross just before the hour as Juve claimed a seemingly decisive victory in the semi-final first leg at the Stade Louis II.
The Italian champions have the final in Cardiff on 3 June in their sights, with a showdown against holders Real Madrid, Higuain's former side, looking probable.
"The dream we have been pursuing since August has been to get to Cardiff and we are just one step away," said Higuain, who was magnanimously applauded off by the home supporters in Monaco.
He now has 31 goals this season following his 90-million-euro milion transfer from Napoli.
Higuain, who ended a seven-game run without scoring in the Champions League knockout stages, added: "We have not won anything yet, so we mustn't get carried away. I always kept calm. I knew everyone had faith in me and that hard work is always rewarded in the end."
Juventus, nicknamed the "Old Lady", were too wily for a youthful Monaco side who have blitzed opposition areas this season scoring nearly 150 goals in all competitions. But at one of the most crucial junctures of the campaign, they failed to find the target at home for the first time.
Much of that was due to the Juventus back line of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli. And even when they were breached, veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was in majestic form.
The 39-year-old, making his 149th European appearance, denied Kylian Mbappe and Radamel Falcao in the first half and produced a stunning fingertip stop from Valère Germain late on.
Juventus to face Monaco again Tuesday
Juventus will entertain Monaco in Turin for the second leg next Tuesday boasting more than 10 hours without conceding in the Champions League. Buffon has kept clean sheets in all five matches in the knockout rounds.
"In every game I want to show that I deserve to play at this level despite my age. I work hard every day for this. The day I quit, I want people to be sad about it," remarked Buffon, twice a beaten finalist in the Champions League.
"We had the right approach. Monaco are a fearsome team and the only way to beat them was playing the way we did."
Buffon also praised coach Massimiliano Allegri for his decision to bring Barzagli into a three man defence, thwarting Monaco's attack and allowing Alves to wreak havoc down the right.
"Gigi showed that he is still a great goalkeeper. He always does it in big games, and Higuain scored two lovely goals," said Allegri. "But to get results everyone needs to work hard. You need to make sacrifices and track back and he did that too."
Juventus could wrap up a record sixth consecutive Serie A title this weekend, when they face city rivals Torino, while Lazio await in the Italian Cup final.
Monaco's tyros had reasons to be cheerful going into the clash. They had won their previous 13 home games and scored in 41 consecutive matches at the Stade Louis II since November 2015.
"They were more clinical than us -- with two or three chances they scored and we couldn't put any of ours away. Buffon made some incredible saves," said Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim. "It will be difficult in Turin next week but we need to keep believing. The best thing is to believe it is possible."
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