Coppa Italia 2024: Juventus’ road to the final

ROUND OF 16: JUVENTUS 6 - 1 SALERNITANA (04/01/24)

Juventus’ first game of 2024 got off to a nightmare start when a cataclysmic error from Federico Gatti on one of the first passes of the night allowed Chukwubuikem Ikwuemesi to put struggling Salernitana 1-0 up in less than sixty seconds. Juventus would draw level after 12 minutes thanks to Fabio Miretti, before eventually taking the lead after 32 minutes. Federico Chiesa’s corner was looped towards Danilo, who headed it down for Andrea Camboaso to convert and make it 2-1.

Juventus then turned up the heat in the second half. In 53 minutes, Chiesa crossed a ball into the box, for Arkadeusz Milik to head goalwards. Salernitana keeper Fiorillo managed to get his feet to it, but the parry deflected into the path of centre-back Daniele Rugani, who tapped in for 3-1. With 15 minutes to go, Juve made it four. Yildiz’s shot was saved, only to deflect in off Salernitana defender Dylan Bronn for an own goal.

Yildiz would soon get his well-earned place on the scoresheet on 88 minutes, cutting open the defence with a lovely individual run and slotting past Florillo, before Timothy Weah completed the rout with a long-range screamer one minute into stoppage time. After a hair-raising moment early on, Juventus were able to steady the ship and put in one of their best performances of the season so far to ensure their progression to the quarter finals.

QUARTER FINAL: JUVENTUS 4 - 0 FROSINONE (11/01/24)

A mere seven days on from their dismantling of Salernitana, Juventus were once again at home in the cup to face a Frosinone side who had stunned reigning Scudetto holders Napoli with a 4-0 hammering in the previous round. This game saw Massimiliano Allegri became the third Juventus coach, after Giovanni Trapattoni (596) and Marcello Lippi (405), to reach the milestone of 400 games over two spells in all competitions sitting in the Juve hot seat. This 4-0 win would be Allegri’s 265th victory for the side, making him the coach with the second highest win total in Bianconeri history, with only Trapattoni ahead on 319.

Juventus earned a penalty in the 11th minute when Fabio Miretti ran into the box between three Frosinone players, two of whom tried in vain to get the ball, sandwiching him in the middle and soliciting a foul. Arek Milik stepped up to take the penalty, converting with ease past keeper Michele Cerofolini. Frosinone pushed forward in search for an equaliser and were punished on the counter attack. Milik hit an exquisite long-range pass across the park from inside his own half, finding Weston McKennie. Milik then bolted forward to meet the return pass from McKennie at the back post, chesting it down and sending the ball through Cerofolini’s legs for 2-0.

Two minutes after the restart, Milik had completed his hat trick. Manuel Locatelli caught Luca Garritano napping on a bad pass from keeper Cerofolini. With the keeper rounded, Locatelli passed back to Milik who blasted home for the first hat-trick by a Juventus player in the Coppa Italia since Alessandro Del Piero in a 2006 4-1 win over Fiorentina. Milik looked to have grabbed a fourth on 57 minutes, as he got his foot to a mishit Miretto shot from the edge of the box, only for it to be ruled offside by VAR.

Juventus’ fourth and final goal came from Kenan Yildiz. McKennie again was the assist maker, crossing in from the right, as Yildiz leaped into the air to volley the ball home in acrobatic fashion, sealing Juve’s place in the last four. With this win, Juventus reached the Coppa Italia semis in five consecutive editions for the first time since between 1958 and 1962.

SEMI FINAL 1ST LEG: JUVENTUS 2 - 0 LAZIO (02/04/24)

Juventus saw off a stubborn Lazio side in the first leg at Juventus Stadium, placing one foot in the final. Lazio had defeated Juve 1-0 in the league the previous Saturday thanks to a late Adam Marusic winner, despite rotating first team mainstays like Ciro Immobile, Luis Alberto and Matteo Guendouzi out in preparation for the semis. 

Juventus thought their luck was in, having looked to be awarded a penalty in the 10th minute. Matias Vecino looked to bring down Federico Chiesa. A quick VAR check followed, with Vecino being determined to be offside in the build-up, ruling out the spot kick. Lazio looked the more impressive side in the first half, but never quite recovered after striker Mattia Zaccagni had to come off injured after just 14 minutes. In the first half, Lazio dominated possession, but struggled to convert the chances created, with zero shots on target in the entire game.

Federico Chiesa would eventually put Juventus in front after fifty minutes, getting on the end of an exquisite vertical pass by full back Andrea Cambiaso. Chiesa then managed to score from the edge of the box, tucking his shot past Lazio keeper Christos Mandas low inside the right post.

Juventus came alive after the goal and fourteen minutes later put the game out of sight thanks to a goal from Dusan Vlahovic. Weston McKennie broke the Lazio defence with a nice first touch in from the right hand side, passing to Vlahovic in the box. The Serbian then pulled off some nifty footwork firing past Mandas into the bottom far corner, bringing Vlahovic to ten goals across all competitions since the turn of the year.

Juventus stretched their record streak in the competition with this win, now unbeaten in their last 23 home games in the Coppa Italia. Juve’s last home Cup defeat came in March 2015, defeated 2-1 by Fiorentina, Mohamed Salah with a double that day. Lazio, having reached the semi-finals for the first time since 2018-19, were now by comparison on a run of five consecutive defeats away from home in the Cup.

SEMI FINAL 2ND LEG: LAZIO 2 - 1 JUVENTUS (JUVE WIN 3-2 ON AGGREGATE)

Just one step from the final, it took a late goal from striker Arkadiusz Milik to settle a nervy second leg as Juve advanced into the final despite a 2-1 defeat on the night.

In the weeks since the first leg, Lazio had shook off their disappointing 2-0 loss in that game, picking up form with wins over Genoa and Salernitana. In contrast, Massimiliano Allegri’s Juve continued their mediocre league campaign, having only won two of their last 12 Serie A matches by the time they lined up at the Stadio Olimpico.

Lazio went for the jugular from the very start, as they attempted to overturn their 2-0 deficit from the first leg. It took twelve minutes for Lazio to take the lead when Valentin Castellanos leaped up to meet Luis Alberto’s well taken corner. The Argentine headed home to give the Biancocelesti a 1-0 lead. Castellanos had the opportunity to make it 2-0 a minute before the break, after he was through on goal after a cutting forward pass. Juve keeper Mattia Perrin was able to make the save one-on-one, as Juve headed into the break 1-0 down. 

In the ascendancy, Lazio went two up three minutes after the restart. Luis Alberto again setting up Castellanos, who broke free of the defence, racing into the penalty area. He launched his shot past Perin into the bottom corner, levelling the tie on aggregate. It looked like Lazio’s night as they battered Juve in an attempt to try and grab the winning goal. The Old Lady would strike back on the 83rd minute as some superb link-up play from Filip Kostic and Timothy Weah saw Weah in good position on the right hand side. Weah fired a pass into the six-yard box, with Arkadeusz Milik lunging himself into position, connecting with the ball to guide it into the net and make it 3-2 on aggregate.

Milik’s goal was enough to seal progression for Juve, despite a 2-1 loss on the night. Juventus will now take part in their 22nd Coppa Italia final, six more than any other team (second place are Roma at 16). Milik’s goal made him the top scorer of the Coppa Italia 2023/24 on four goals, is the first Juve player to score 4 goals in a single edition of the competition since Paulo Dybala in 2016/17. Will Milik strike again in the final? Will Juventus repeat their 2021 heroics against Atalanta? We’ll find out on the 15th of May. Forza Juve!