In the first leg of Juventus’ Champions League semi-final tie with Monaco, the Old Lady’s big-money summer signing showed signs of delivering on a stage where he has all too often come up short in the past
At €90 million Gonzalo Higuain was acquired by Juventus not to guarantee a record sixth consecutive, but to help finally bring the Champions League back to Turin for the first time since 1996.
Therefore, just three goals during relatively easy passage through the group stages was probably a little underwhelming, until the Argentine stepped forward with two crucial goals in the semi-final first-leg versus Monaco on Wednesday night.
Up to that point concerns were growing, though, that the former Real Madrid striker was building up for yet another personal failure on the main stage. Although netting goal-after-goal in Serie A since joining Napoli in 2013, the 29-year-old had become a mascot of final hurdle failure for both club and country.
Just as Europe’s major prize has eluded Bianconeri legend Gianluigi Buffon, countryman Lionel Messi was chasing a World Cup in 2014, only for Higuain to waste Argentina’s best chance of the final with just the goalkeeper to beat.
Fast forward 12 months, Higuain was again the man breaking his nation’s hearts in the 92nd minute of the Copa America final against Chile at 0-0 by failing to send the ball into an unguarded net. In addition, his penalty the resulting shootout was sent so high it is possibly still in orbit.
That was not the first crucial spot-kick the striker had missed that season, either, becoming the villain in Naples during their final fixture against Lazio, when his failure from the spot subjected the Partenopei to Europa League mediocrity.
Last summer – amid widespread speculation of a move to Juventus – the ex-River Plate man was at it again, striding through on goal in another Copa America final but sending a delicate chip trickling the wrong side of Claudio Bravo’s post. Argentina lost on penalties.
The one recurring circumstance during these instances, though, appears to be the size of the rewards at stake. With that and time in front of goal at Higuain’s disposal, he fluffs his lines – particularly two woeful efforts from 12 yards.
Many forget that, although marginally offside, in the 2014 World Cup final defeat to Germany, we did see the clinical finisher that he is, hitting a first time low volley past Manuel Neuer. That Pipita was on show at the Stade Louis II for the Bianconeri.
A stumble when seemingly about to be sent through on goal by Paulo Dybala and volleying a strike further away from goal than toward it, had you thinking ‘not again’, but with no time to contemplate his actions swept Juventus home with two instinctive first-time strikes.
The Old Lady will need that same Higuain on display again when the sides meet again in Turin, particularly with the goalscoring power that Monaco possess, but after this two-goal showing some of the fears around his big game temperament are disappearing.
Another display like the one in the principality will certainly have the South American flying high going into his first Champions League final – most likely against his former side – and believing that he is finally ready to bury the ghosts of those failures, and finally become the hero.
