He now has 31 goals this season following his 90 million euro (US$98 million) transfer from SSC Napoli, helping Juve close on a potential treble.
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Radamel Falcao almost equalised after the break, but saw his low effort from inside the area gratefully saved by Buffon, before Claudio Marchisio forced Subasic into a low save as Juventus broke into the penalty area.
The victor plays either Real Madrid or city rival Atletico, with Real heading into the return leg at Atletico with a 3-0 cushion thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat trick on Tuesday.
Allegri’s squad boasted nearly three times as many Champions League appearances in total as their hosts, who are seeking a first final appearance since 2004. With three chances, we didn’t score. Paolo Dybala pinched the ball from Tiemoue Bakayoko and found Alves, whose floated cross from the right was slid in first time by Higuain. “I didn’t expect Dani Alves to backheel it, but when he did it I just went for it”.
“The numbers on Monaco’s attack speak for themselves”.
Juventus are nearly at full strength, with suspended midfielder Sami Khedira the only definite absentee.
But the visitors did double their lead just before the hour mark, with Higuain striking again. Alves patiently waited for Higuain to change his initial run to the penalty spot, and lofted over a precise pass that fell perfectly into his path at the back post.
Leonardo Jardim brought on Joao Moutinho, Valere Germain and Almamy Toure as he looked for a way back into the tie.
The hosts had a couple of chances in the early stages of the second half, with Falcao unable to beat Buffon in a one-on-one situation in the 47th minute.
After his performances in the Champions League so far this season, there should be no doubt.
The last club to keep a clean sheet in each of their first five knockout-round games was Arsenal, who did so over their first six games in 2005-06 before losing to Barcelona in the final.
Interviewed by Jtv, Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira talked about the Champions League action, Massimiliano Allegri and the team’s growth, and Saturday’s derby against Turin.
Buffon has been a big factor in keeping teams at bay, and believes that it is his motivation and desire to be the best that keeps him playing at the highest level.
“We do have an advantage but we also know Monaco have excellent players capable of scoring away”.
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“Monaco are a daring team – they like to attack and they do it very well”.
