PAP/EPA / Giuseppe Lami / Italian Cup Final: Atalanta – Juventus
Two lean years at Juventus and that’s it. The Bianconeri will lift the trophy this season, and it will be the Italian Cup. The hero of the final 1-0 win over Atalanta was Dusan Vlahovic. Arkadiusz Milik remained the competition’s top scorer.
There was no Pole in Juventus’ starting lineup. Wojciech Szczęsny, traditionally in the Coppa Italia, made way between the goalposts for Mattia Perin. Arkadiusz Milik waited the “five minutes” on the substitute bench, because Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa played in attack from the first whistle. Milik was unable to defend his top spot as the tournament’s top scorer, so we would just have to watch.
Teams “hungry” for success entered the final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Atalanta did not win any title during the reign of Gian Piero Gasperini, and Juventus, which recently dominated Serie A, did not lift any title in the past two seasons.
Juventus showed early on that any attempt to underestimate them before the final was unwise. The Bianconeri took a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute with a shot from Dusan Vlahovic. They played brilliantly with one touch in Atalanta’s half, and the Serbian’s behavior was just textbook. First, he avoided being offside due to Berat Djemseti’s positioning, then he “nullified” Isak Haen in a physical duel. After Andrea Cambiasso’s pass, he had to beat Marko Carnesecchi in a one-on-one match.
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The start of the final was lively, but over time it turned into a stereotypical cup match. Juventus took the initiative and played by their own rules. Atalanta cried. The Europa League finalist has gained momentum in recent weeks and played with great attacking momentum, but throughout the first half she was a safe distance from Mattia Perina’s Juventus goal.
The matter did not end with the fiery speech delivered by the Atalanta coach in the locker room. Gian Piero Gasperini admitted his mistake by including Charles De Kitaleeri in the attack and replacing him with Bilal Toure. The coach took off his jacket and his players started attacking more quickly.
In the 51st minute, Atalanta’s shot was on target and Mattia Perin shot for the first time, blocking the ball for a corner kick. Not long after, Teon Koopmeinerz missed a header from a Berat Djemseti throw-in. The ball began moving across Juventus’ half of the field, but that did not calm the coach from Bergamo. Less than an hour passed and he made three more changes to the starting lineup, and after 65 minutes he had used all five.
In the 73rd minute, Dusan Vlahovic scored the second goal. The Serbian put his head on the ball after Andrea Cambiasso’s throw-in and put it into the corner of Marco Carnesici’s helpless goal. However, the goal was disallowed due to offside, and the striker’s celebration, which showed the extent of his presence, was like a caricature. 1-0 remaining for Juventus.
Atalanta remained in contact with the opponent, and in the 80th minute they had the opportunity to equalize. Ademola Lookman moved away from Juventus defenders and fired a shot from several metres. The ball he kicked bounced off the outside of the post. The Bianconeri also had a shot on target late in the match when it hit the crossbar from Fabio Meretti.
Arkadiusz Milik replaced eventual champion Dusan Vlahovic in the 81st minute. He remained the competition’s top scorer with four goals in the previous rounds. He didn’t have much time in the final, but he played for the team.
Atalanta – Juventus 0:1 (0:1)
0:1 – Dusan Vlahovic 4′
Compositions:
Atalanta: Marko Carneski – Martin De Roon (65′ Rafael Tolui), Isaac Henn (59′ Giorgio Scalvini), Berat Gemseti – Davide Zappacosta, Mario Pasalic (59′ Alexei Mirachuk), Ederson, Matteo Ruggeri – Teun Koopminerz, Ademola Lookman – Charles De . 46′ Bilal Toure
Juventus: Mattia Perin – Federico Gatti, Bremer, Danilo – Weston McKennie, Andrea Cambiasso (81′ Timothy Weah), Hans Nicolosi Caviglia (62′ Fabio Meretti), Adrien Rabiot, Samuel Elling Jr. – Dusan Vlahovic (81′ Arkadiusz Milik), Federico. Church (69′ Kenan Yildiz)
Yellow cards: Hen, Djemseti, Tolui (Atalanta), Vlahovic, Bremer (Juventus).
Judge: Fabio Maresca
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