09 February 2021
Juventus booked their spot in the Coppa Italia final after their goalless draw against Inter at the Allianz Stadium on Tuesday evening, winning 2-1 on aggregate after the victory at the San Siro in the first leg.
GOALLESS FIRST HALF
With the Bianconeri having ran out 2-1 winners in the first leg, Inter were always going to come out looking to snatch an early lead and the fiery atmosphere emanating from the field meant that tensions were high. The visitors went on a dangerous attack in the 10th minute when Hakimi burst down the flank and pulled back for Lautaro Martinez in the box, but as he went for the ball, he connected with Bernardeschi’s leg and went tumbling down. A chance fell to Inter in the 24th minute when an Eriksen free-kick struck the stomach of Lukaku and sailed out by inches. Brozovic fired straight into the arms of Buffon, while the half came to a conclusion with Ronaldo having had his shot charged down by De Vrij and an effort blocked by Handanovic’s feet.
BIANCONERI DO ENOUGH
Into the second half and Juventus came out more compact and looking to break away on the counter. Hakimi saw his effort curled narrowly over the bar, while McKennie replaced Bernardeschi in the 62nd minute. The Texan almost made an immediate impact when he fed the ball through to Ronaldo in the box, who saw his shot blocked by Handanovic. The shot-stopper denied CR7 again when he pulled off an excellent move of step overs and slaloms that resulted in him letting rip at goal, only to see it saved by the Slovenian. With neither side finding a break-through, Pirlo opted to go for a five-man defence by introducing Chiellini in place of Cuadrado with 10 minutes to spare. Inter increased the pressure in the final minutes through a series of corners, but the Bianconeri backline held out strong to ensure that the goalless draw was enough to book their spot in the Coppa Italia final.
Juventus (4-4-2): Buffon; Danilo, Demiral, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado (Chiellini 81’), Bentancur, Rabiot, Bernardeschi (McKennie 62’); Kulusevski (Chiesa 87’), Ronaldo
Juventus bench: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Dragusin, Chiellini, Frabotta, Di Pardo, McKennie, Peeters, Chiesa, Morata
Inter (3-5-2): Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Hakimi, Barella, Brozovic, Eriksen, Darmian; Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez
Inter bench: Padelli, Radu, Gagliardini, Vecino, Kolarov, Sensi, Ranocchia, Perisic, Young, D’Ambrosio, Pinamonti
