Kolo Muani's double act papers over Juventus cracks as Milan implode
Juventus edged past AZ Alkmaar with Kolo Muani directly involved in both goals, while Milan's Europa League crisis deepened with a chastening defeat to Ferencvaros that left Sergio Conceicao's successor fuming.
Juventus moved to the brink of the Europa League's round of 16 on Thursday night, beating AZ Alkmaar 2-1 at home in a match that flattered their control for long periods before a nervous finish, Football Italia reports from the Italian papers.
Kolo Muani was the central figure. He set up Teun Koopmeiners for the opening goal and then doubled Juventus' advantage himself, a performance Football Italia's round-up of Tuttosport described as his best of the campaign and his third European goal of the season, following strikes against NEC and Celta Vigo. It leaves Juventus with ten points from four games and a third win in the competition.
Kolo Muani's build-up work made the difference
The detail that stands out from the Italian coverage is how Kolo Muani's contribution came in two different phases of play: first as the creator, feeding Koopmeiners through the build-up, then as the finisher himself. That dual function — link player and goalscorer in the same match — is precisely the profile Juventus have lacked up front for long stretches this season, and it explains why his display was singled out across the Italian press rather than treated as a routine European night.
It was not entirely comfortable. AZ were, according to the papers, never especially threatening in open play, yet Juventus' defence switched off in the closing stages. Meerdink pulled a goal back, and a second AZ effort from De Wit was only ruled out for offside. Massimiliano Spalletti was reported as furious with Cabal afterwards, warning that good football counts for little if concentration drops at the back, and suggesting the result could have been put at risk had the game run five minutes longer.
That late wobble is worth dwelling on. A team can dominate territory and still concede twice if the defensive transition — the moment possession is lost and shape has to reset — breaks down. Juventus got away with it against a side the papers judged toothless; they may not against a more clinical opponent in the knockout rounds.
Milan's derby hangover turned into a European collapse
Milan's night could not have been more different. They lost 0-2 at San Siro to Ferencvaros, a third defeat in four Europa League matches that leaves them 28th in the standings. The Italian papers were blunt about the scale of the problem: Tuttosport's coverage quoted head coach Amorim admitting, "Indefensible, whoever puts on this shirt has a responsibility. We're not ready to play every three days," a remark that points squarely at fatigue and squad depth rather than a one-off bad night.
Amorim also said he had "never seen a first half like that," a reaction to what the papers described as a run of individual mistakes and lapses of concentration, including an error from goalkeeper Torriani that gifted Ferencvaros their opener. The sequence matters tactically: a side already carrying fixture congestion compounded it with basic errors in possession and in goal, the kind of breakdown that no system can fully protect against.
Amorim's comment about playing every three days is a direct reference to squad rotation, and it is the clearest explanation on offer for why a team capable of a derby performance days earlier collapsed so completely in Europe. Whether that reflects genuine fitness strain or a deeper confidence problem is something only the coming weeks will clarify.
Atalanta stall too, adding to Sarri's pressure
Atalanta were held 1-1 by Kairat in the Conference League, a result the papers framed as another underwhelming European night for a club already dealing with unrest. Sarri was reported to be facing more boos from the home support, and Football Italia's round-up noted that his immediate future may be decided by the upcoming trip to Monza rather than by the European form itself.
Taken together, the contrast across the three results is instructive. Juventus got the job done despite a defensive lapse, which is why Spalletti's frustration read as the irritation of a coach in control rather than one under threat; his result was described in the papers as a show of strength. Milan and Atalanta, by contrast, are each carrying visible strain — fatigue and errors in Milan's case, discontent and inconsistency in Atalanta's — and both coaches now face matches that will say more about their standing than the European results themselves.
Juventus are closing in on qualification for the round of 16. Milan's next assignments will have to answer Amorim's own question about whether the squad can sustain a congested schedule, and Atalanta's trip to Monza has already been framed in the Italian press as the fixture that could decide Sarri's position.