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Fiorentina 0-1 Juventus: 3 takeaways as Juve escape with first leg advantage

By James Cormack

FLORENCE, ITALY - MARCH 02: Lorenzo Venuti of ACF Fiorentina scores the own goal during the Coppa Italia Semi Final 1st Leg match between ACF Fiorentina and Juventus FC at Stadio Artemio Franchi on March 02, 2022 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
FLORENCE, ITALY - MARCH 02: Lorenzo Venuti of ACF Fiorentina scores the own goal during the Coppa Italia Semi Final 1st Leg match between ACF Fiorentina and Juventus FC at Stadio Artemio Franchi on March 02, 2022 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images) /
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Depleted but resilient

Juventus snatched a last-gasp victory in Wednesday’s first leg. (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)
Juventus snatched a last-gasp victory in Wednesday’s first leg. (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images) /

Juve’s display was pretty hideous but the players deserve immense credit for grinding out an important win considering the circumstances.

However, I’m not buying the Allegri master plan narrative. Unless you consider getting battered for the majority and barely laying a glove on your opponents before escaping with a win via a stoppage-time own goal as masterful.

On another day, Juve head into April’s second leg with a deficit to make up. But, they rode their luck and did a stellar job to limit the number of high-quality chances created by Fiorentina considering their superiority. The visitors engaged higher up the pitch than usual and defended diligently in their block. While Fiorentina were able to retain possession for long periods, they were made to work hard to pick holes in Juve’s structure.

Matthijs de Ligt found life easy in the middle of the back three and he was well-supported by captain Danilo to his right. Mattia Perin also recovered from his error in the first half to produce a safe performance between the sticks.

Allegri will be proud of his side’s display. He loves winning like that. The boss would’ve bitten your hand off for a 0-0 before the game as nine first-teamers were missing, but their grit and resolve eventually allowed them to go one better.

Sure, they were unwatchable and the boss was out-coached for the most part, but the result is all that matters in cup competitions. Juventus got what they wanted in typical Bianconeri fashion.

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