Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri explained starting Andrea Pirlo for victory over AS Monaco in the first-leg of their Champions League quarterfinal.

Pirlo was a surprise starter, having just recovered from a calf injury.

Allegri said: "Pirlo had a good 70 minutes, which is excellent considering he hadn't played for 50 days. Set plays can be decisive in these games and I needed great quality on the passes to break through those tiny spaces, and in fact his pass was decisive for the penalty.

"Carlos Tevez had also been out for six days, so he too wasn't quite as sharp as usual."