#TBT: TWO BIG DRAWS IN 1996

1996 was a special year which saw both of AC Milan’s trips to Turin to face Juventus end as draws. They were hard-fought games with plenty of character and slightly less technique involved, but they stood out from the rest as this was a fixture that was almost always dominated by one side or the other, draws were a rarity. The 1996 double-header began in February, as Milan were top of the table and the game seemed like Juventus’ last chance to have a shot at the title.

The Bianconeri were led by Marcello Lippi at the time and would go on to win the Champions League at the end of the season. They were highly motivated for their home fixture with Milan, having already lost the first game of the season 2-1 at San Siro. A bitterly cold evening in Turin, and after just four minutes Antonio Conte had already put the home side ahead: it looked like a long night ahead for Milan.

The Rossoneri had succeeded in getting Weah back for the game, despite his injury after clashing with the Bari goalkeeper in Milan’s 3-2 win just seven days earlier. It was Weah himself who managed to level the scores after half an hour, linking up excellently with Donadoni and Albertini (who was then injured and had to be replaced by the young Ambrosini). It was an extremely tough match with a lot of fouls involved, a confirmation of the sporting rivalry that has always existed between Juventus and Milan. It ended 1-1 at full-time, the Bianconeri having failed to mount any successful challenge on Milan’s spot at the top of the rankings.

Seven months later, the roles had been reversed and it was Juventus back on top. Milan had already lost three times after eight games and were ‘only’ on 13 points, an unimpressive total for the reigning champions of Italy. However, Tabarez’s champions found some joy in November 1996, holding Juve to a 0-0 draw in Turin having gone into the game as complete underdogs.

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