April 21, (THEWILL) – Juventus had a difficult time against Fiorentina but, like the first leg, came out on top thanks to goals from Federico Bernardeschi and Danilo, who sealed a 2-0 win and a place in the Coppa Italia final.
Massimiliano Allegri’s side were roughened up in the first leg and did not fare much better in the second, with only 32% possession, but their threat on the counter proved too much for Fiorentina.
From the start, the visitors went on an all-out attack and could have scored early thanks to some shaky goalkeeping from Mattia Perin, who was fortunate to have the offside flag raised after spilling a corner.
Alvaro Morata and Dusan Vlahovic both evaded the offside trap for Juventus, with the former playing a key role in their team’s first goal.
A cross from Morata was mishandled by Fiorentina goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski, who diverted the ball into the path of Bernardeschi. The latter volleyed home from within the penalty area to give Juve a commanding advantage on aggregate.
Both teams had chances to score shortly after the restart. Before Denis Zakaria stung the outside of the Fiorentina post, Perin made a fantastic save to deny Lucas Martinez Quarta.
Fiorentina pushed and pushed, but were stung on the counter by Juventus, who were content to sit back and punish the visitors. With 20 minutes remaining, Adrien Rabiot thought he had made it 2-0 when he swept home a Bernardeschi cross, only for VAR to ruin the celebrations.
Fiorentina pushed forward as the clock ticked down, looking for a goal to frustrate Juve further. After a tremendous strike from Riccardo Sottil, Arthur Cabral headed inches wide and Perin produced a great stop with his legs.
But, in keeping with the tenor of the game, Juventus scored the game’s final goal in the dying minutes.
Juan Cuadrado beat Martinez Quarta to the byline before pulling back for the onrushing Danilo, who snatched the ball from eight yards out to send Juventus to the final.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
