There were only five minutes left before the end of the first half. For every Juventus player, there was only one goal — to try and equalize the score in the final five minutes.
The score was just 1–0.
So, the Juventus players were still full of confidence.
It didn't take long.
Through active pressing and physical challenges, Juventus once again successfully stole the ball from Cesc Fabregas.
This time, it was Matuidi who made the interception!
After the steal, he didn't hesitate and immediately passed the ball to another midfielder — Khedira.
And this time—
Khedira showcased his vision and passing ability.
He quickly delivered a precise ball to Mandzukic inside the penalty area.
Although Mandzukic's initial shot was saved by Courtois, it didn't shake his confidence at all.
Right after that, Mandzukic leapt high into the air—
Trying to win the aerial duel.
Of course, Chelsea's centre-backs weren't going to give him an easy chance to head the ball.
Both Christensen and Gary Cahill jumped at the same time to challenge him!!
But what no one expected—
Was that Mandzukic actually won the header!!
It was incredible.
However, Mandzukic didn't choose to go for goal himself, since most of his strength had been used in the aerial battle with Christensen and Cahill.
So instead, he smartly passed the ball to his strike partner — Higuain!!
The moment Higuain received the pass—
He took a direct shot!!
Because at that precise moment, there were no Chelsea defenders in position to pressure him, giving Higuain the perfect opportunity to strike!
The powerful volley came with tremendous speed.
In the blink of an eye, the ball ripped through the air and into the back of the net!!
Although Courtois reacted and attempted a save, his response this time was clearly slower than needed — he couldn't even touch the ball.
All he could do was watch as Higuain's shot flew past him and into the goal.
The score was now 1–1.
The two teams were back on level terms.
In the home stands of Juventus Stadium—
Tens of thousands of fans roared Higuain's name. At that moment, Higuain became the savior of the team!!
As the team's head coach—
Allegri was also filled with excitement.
"That was absolutely brilliant!!"
"Keep playing like this! Keep putting pressure on the opponent's goal!!"
"Tonight's victory is destined to be ours—Juventus!!"
After the restart—
The first half was already nearing its end.
Only two minutes remained.
With stoppage time included, there were at most three minutes left.
During that brief period, coach Conte kept urging the Chelsea players to attack, but unfortunately, they couldn't find any breakthrough against Juventus' solid defense.
Finally—
The first half came to an end.
The two sides returned to the locker room with the score tied at 1–1.
Inside the Chelsea locker room—
Head coach Conte was visibly furious. He kept stressing defensive issues while addressing the team.
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