Gregorio Borgia/Associated Press It had been 20 years since Juventus concluding won a Coppa Italia style, but that drought finally came to an end Wednesday as the Serie A chomp defeated Lazio 2-1 in a competitive final at Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Alessandro Matri ‘s 97th-minute goal in extra prison term established Juventus as the most successful police squad in Coppa Italia history, according to Squawka Football :
Juve now have an opportunity to make history by taking the treble with a winnings over FC Barcelona in the Champions League final, while Lazio were denied their second Coppa Italia backing in three years. The match started off in dramatic fashion as Lazio jumped out to an early moderate by virtue of a goal from defender Stefan Radu in the fourth minute. It was a storm tally for the 28-year-old Romanian, to say the least, as he had n’t scored a goal in 24 Serie A contests prior to his marker Wednesday. His skill was on full display, though, as a pinpoint header rhythm Juventus goalkeeper Marco Storari high gear and to the correct. According to Forza Italian Football on Twitter, Radu ‘s goal was the quickest in a Coppa Italia final in six years :
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unfortunately for the Biancocelesti, their lead was ephemeral as the Vecchia Signora answered with a defender goal of their own seven minutes late. Giorgio Chiellini made a diving acrobatic motion toward a loose testis in the box and managed to fire it by Etrit Berisha to even the score at 1-1. Chiellini was an equally unexpected scorekeeper as Radu, which prompted Paolo Bandini of the Guardian to highlight many of the talented goalscorers who were far more likely candidates to find the rear of the net : Per Sky Sports Statto, both Juventus and Lazio are high-quality attacking teams, even they each received goals from players who contributed very little in that regard during the temper : With that said, Chiellini has been something of a irritant in Lazio ‘s english over the years, so possibly his score should n’t have come as a huge surprise. According to WhoScored.com, Chiellini beats the ‘keeper against the Biancazzurri with more regularity than he does against any other clubhouse : Following the initial surge, there were n’t many quality opportunities for the remainder of the unfold half. They entered the cabinet room knotted at 1-1, but things seemed to be trending in Juventus ‘ favor. As beIN Sports ‘ Tancredi Palmeri noted, Lazio went into a defensive shell of sorts after allowing Chiellini to score, which put the Bianconeri in an advantageous position : The break seemed to rejuvenate Lazio, as they were surely the more potent side for the bulk of the second base half. tied sol, neither they nor Juventus could find a means to score a critical second gear finish in regular time. While the Champions League finalists appeared to take a 2-1 lead in the 87th moment when utility Matri scored, the official waved it off with an offside call. It was an highly finale play, but Matri appeared to be onside based on the clamant replay. Fox Soccer was among those who considered it to be a controversial pin : That would prove to be the best opportunity for either team for the remainder of the opening 90 minutes, and the catch was ultimately forced to go to extra time. Palmeri believed things were trending in Juventus ‘ steering during the latter stages of the second half after Lazio carried the play for a long stretch : even so, advancing Filip Djordjevic, who entered the game in the 83rd minute for Miroslav Klose, very about put Lazio ahead in the 95th minute, but his shot signally hit both posts without crossing the goal line. That near miss proved to be costly, as two minutes former, Matri gained vengeance for his previously disallowed goal by beating Berisha with a humble shoot to make it 2-1 in favor of Juve. Matri ‘s marker proved to be the finish that would decide the Coppa Italia, as Lazio were unable to equalise after 97 minutes of being either tied or ahead. Juventus ‘ gain signals their render to prominence in the Coppa Italia, but it besides sets the stage for something far more grand. They now have a bang-up deal of momentum heading toward their highly anticipated Champions League final collide with Barca. Beating the spanish juggernaut will be no easy feat, but if they can pull it off, they will join Internazionale as the only italian clubs to win the European triple. The Coppa Italia has been placed on the backburner at times for Juventus over the years, but with such a significant accomplishment hang in the balance, they rose to the occasion.
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Key Player Grades Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus): A Riccardo De Luca/Associated Press Chiellini has been one of Lazio ‘s toughest opponents for quite some time, and he proved that once again in the Coppa Italia as he netted a beautiful goal in the 11th moment. The technically heavy defender besides managed to stand firm against a Lazio attack that was particularly dangerous in the second half of play. Paul Pogba (Juventus): C- Gregorio Borgia/Associated Press Juventus entered the Coppa Italia as a heavy favored against Lazio due largely to their midfield advantage. With Paul Pogba, Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal all in the lineup, Le Zebre should have been able to control the pace throughout. That was n’t the shell, though, as Pogba was never in rhythm and was unable to do anything with the seduce opportunities he was afforded. Stefan Radu (Lazio): A Gregorio Borgia/Associated Press prior to departing the game in party favor of Mauricio in the 71st moment, Radu was arguably the best actor on the integral pitch. In summation to scoring early in the equal for Lazio, he played a tidy defensive contest that helped hold dangerous Juventus midfielders such as Pogba, Pirlo and Vidal in see. Miroslav Klose (Lazio): C+ Riccardo De Luca/Associated Press While Miroslav Klose should have been Lazio ‘s biggest offense threat Wednesday, the 36-year-old seasoned played his senesce. He did well in terms of winning headers, which keeps his grade from being significantly lower, but his inability to put even a single shot on frame is a big reason why Juventus was able to come out on top. Post-Match Reaction Following such a tightly contested meet, it comes as no surprise that the lose director feels as though bounces played a character in his squad ‘s defeat. According to Football Italia, Lazio coach Stefano Pioli lamented the fact that an extra-time film from Djordjevic hit the post twice without going in : It was undoubtedly an unfortunate moment for Lazio ; however, their inability to subsequently keep Juventus off the scoreboard is what ultimately did them in. On the other side of the daybook, Juve director Massimiliano Allegri was highly complimentary of Lazio and their performance. Per Rai Sport ( h/t Football Italia ), Allegri acknowledged that luck came into playing period deoxyadenosine monophosphate well :
Lazio had a capital game, it was worthy of a final and we knew this would be different from in Serie A. … We did well, they did well, they were doomed hitting the carpentry twice in the like move and we were fortunate on our finish. … football is made of incidents. Before their upright we had two or three favorable situations we did n’t make the most of .
Allegri besides verbalized the pride he had in his team for managing to prevail under such rugged circumstances, according to Juventus ‘ official Twitter account : Chiellini agreed with Allegri ‘s statement and added that he was n’t ready to look ahead to the Champions League in the wake of such a big winnings :
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Wednesday ‘s match was much tighter than most credibly anticipated based on Juventus ‘ run through the Champions League. It was n’t an easily acquire by any means, and it is clear that everyone involved on the Juve side is grateful they were able to persevere. They ‘ll need to channel that heart in order to beat a team of Barcelona ‘s bore adjacent calendar month a well. While that challenge may seem closely impossible to some, Juventus have proven their ability to perform under blackmail on the boastfully stage. Follow @ MikeChiari on Twitter .