The Malta Independent on Sunday
Pogba scores on his return as Milan obtain rare win
Paul Pogba marked his comeback with a goal as newly crowned Serie A champion Juventus drew 1-1 against relegation-threatened Cagliari yesterday.
Massimiliano Allegri rested almost all his stars ahead of Wednesday's Champions League semifinal at Real Madrid, and it was Pogba who opened the scoring on the stroke of halftime, 52 days after a right-thigh muscle tear.
Luca Rossettini leveled five minutes from time to give Cagliari a crucial point. The Sardinian side moved to within five points of safety, with 17thplace Atalanta visiting Palermo today.
There was a party atmosphere at Juventus Stadium, with the team having clinched its fourth successive title at Sampdoria last weekend. The fans sang throughout and waved flags provided by the club.
"It was a wonderful day and it was inevitable I'd feel a bit emotional as well, I'm certainly not made of iron!" said Allegri, who won the title with AC Milan in 2011, before being sacked by the Rossoneri in January last year. "It is an important achievement for me, it's now two titles with two different clubs. It was a special day.
"Paul put in a decent display, he's in good physical condition. It was important for him to regain his judgment of distances in the middle of the pitch. It's a pity we didn't win the game but the lads did well and it wasn't easy, seeing as certain players hadn't featured for a while."
In the late game AC Milan obtained a rare win, beating second placed Roma 2-1 after an encouraging display.
Honda was arguably Milan’s best serving both goals to Van Ginkel in the first half, and Destro in the second.
Roma won a disputed penalty scored by Totti on 73 minutes, and put pressure on the Rossoneri late in the game, but Milan managed to hold on to its slender lead till the final whistle.