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Manuel Locatelli secured a 1-0 win for Juventus at AC Milan in Serie A on Sunday with a second-half strike, after the hosts were reduced to 10 men when defender Malick Thiaw received a direct red card.
It was a must-see game for fans of the United States as star national team players Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah started for Milan and Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie were in the XI for Juventus.
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A relatively slow-paced match took a surprising turn five minutes before the break when Thiaw received his marching orders for a last-man foul on Moise Kean.
With the numerical advantage, Juve took charge and Locatelli scored in the 63rd minute with a deflected long-range shot off Rade Krunic, catching Milan keeper Antonio Mirante off guard.
Juve are now third in the table with 20 points, with Milan second on 21 points, one point behind leaders Inter Milan after the ninth round.
Milan needed to win to reclaim the Serie A summit after Inter’s 3-0 victory against Torino on Saturday. However, they were without several key players, including their first-choice keeper, Mike Maignan, and defender Theo Hernandez, both of whom were suspended for the match.
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The first opportunity went to Milan and Olivier Giroud, but he was denied by a reaction save from Juve keeper Wojciech Szczesny after firing a low shot towards the post from a short distance.
Shortly after Thiaw’s red card, Moise Kean had an opportunity to give Juve the lead with a tap-in at the post, but he pushed it wide.
Thiaw’s red card was the first such incident during the first half of a Serie A match between Juve and Milan in more than 25 years, dating back to Milan midfielder Zvonimir Boban.
Despite letting in the goal, Mirante showed his class in the final moments of the match, first denying Dusan Vlahovic and then making a remarkable double save during stoppage time.
Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri was visibly frustrated towards the end of the match, appearing unhappy with his players. The 56-year-old removed his jacket and tie and stormed off the pitch, which resulted in him receiving a yellow card.