Coppa Italia, Semi-final, Second LegÂ
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio Juventus 2-1
Lazio go two up to level the double-legged Coppa Italia semi-final, but a Juve goal ends the dream
The team
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Ivan Tudor at the last moment lost Daichi Kamada through injury so space in midfield for Matteo Guendouzi and Danilo Cataldi. Patric, not 100%, was benched in favour of Nicolò Casale. Many Biancocelesti players injured this year, it has not been a lucky season.
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First half
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After the first ten minutes in which the teams controlled and studied each other, the game opened up unexpectedly. We use the latter word because everybody expected an easy match for Juventus and certainly nobody expected a goal from a Luis Alberto corner. Instead this is exactly what happened. In the 12th minute Taty Castellanos headed the ball in from a magical corner kick.
At this point the game was wide open. Lazio needed just one goal to tie the match and Juve, who thought that just being defensive would be enough, now had to do something. In the 23rd minute Adrien Rabiot just outside the box centre-left, lobbed a ball over the Lazio defence for Federico Chiesa. Low cross in the middle, Dusan Vlahovic anticipated Mario Gila but did not get a great impact on the ball, the dangerous shot was however marvellously saved by Christos Mandas with his foot.
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The game was blocked as neither team wanted to risk anything, but in the 44th minute the Biancocelesti should have been 2-0 up. Perfect pass from Luis Alberto in the box on the left, Danilo slipped and Castellanos was all alone in front of Perin but he shot at the keeper. A real pity.
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Second half
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In the interval Tudor was forced to take off Mario Gila and put in Patric.
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Juve started off well but in the 49th minute another game changer. Felipe Anderson saw a gap and passed to Luis Alberto who immediately gave a good ball to Castellanos just outside the box. Bremer lost his footing and Taty with a clinical shot gave Lazio the double lead.
At this point the Bianconeri started playing and Lazio, very tired, began to have problems in defence. In the 56th minute Rabiot gave a splendid ball to Weston McKennie in the box on the left, low cross for Vlahovic who was anticipated by Adam Marusic in front of the goal line. A minute later Rabiot to Vlahovic in the area on the right, low shot, just wide.
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In the 53rd minute Felipe Anderson, who received a bad knock in the first half, was forced to be substituted. In came Matias Vecino to give more cover to Lazio’s midfield. A few minutes later out went Andrea Cambiaso and in came Timothy Weah.
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The move was decisive. In the 83rd minute cross from the left to Weah in the box on the right, low ball to the centre and Milik scored that vital goal for Juventus.
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Game over. Lazio did not have anything left in the tank before the goal, so any chance to overturn the score was impossible. Juve controlled the rest of the game and reached the final.
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A pity for Lazio. They gave everything they had and more, and would have deserved the final.
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Who played for Lazio
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Mandas, Casale, Romagnoli, Gila (46' Patric), Hysaj, Guendouzi (83' Pedro), Cataldi (81' Rovella), Marusic, Felipe Anderson (61' Vecino), Luis Alberto, Castellanos (81' Immobile)
Substitutes: Sepe, Renzetti, Pellegrini, Isaksen, Gonzalez
Manager: Tudor
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Who played for Juventus
Perin, Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro, Cambiaso (70' Weah), McKennie (81' Yildiz), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic, Chiesa (90'+1' Alcaraz), Vlahovic (81' Milik)
Substitutes: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Iling-Junior, Miretti, Rugani, Djalò, Nicolossi Caviglia
Manager: Allegri.
Referee: Orsato
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Goals: 13' Castellanos, 49' Castellanos, 82' Milik
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Booked: Locatelli (J)
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