Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri admits that his side had to sweat it out to earn their advantage in the Champions League quarter-final tie against Monaco last night.
Arturo Vidal converted a 57th minute penalty, awarded after Ricardo Carvalho had tripped Alvaro Morata just inside the box, to earn a 1-0 win for the Bianconeri in the first leg of their tie at the Juventus Stadium.
Though Juventus dominated possession, Monaco made it hard for the home side to break them down and even had a few chances of their own, which if converted would have created more problems for Allegri’s side.
The Juventus boss admits that Monaco were good value for their money on the night and stressed that it was never going to be an easy quarter-final tie for the Italian champions as the Ligue 1 side are known for their defensive solidity and organisation.
“We were hurt by some of their breaks in the first half as we made a few mistakes”, Allegri told UEFA.
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“Monaco have great players, some great youngsters and are really well-organised. Anybody who thinks it's easy in the quarter-finals is wrong.
“They've got the best defence in the French league and they've only conceded four goals in the Champions League – that says it all.”
Allegri admits that Juventus need to improve their overall performance in the second leg but was reasonably pleased with their showing at home last night.
“It was precarious at times and we've got to improve some defensive aspects and do better with the chances we create. I'm very happy with what we did tonight.”
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