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17.06.2020 » Napoli 0-0 Juventus (4-2 a.p.). The Coppa Italia slips away!
Juventus and Napoli clashed in Rome for the Coppa Italia final, just a few days after both sides had already played their semi-final bouts against AC Milan and Inter. That may have been too much to handle for certain players, especially after a long stoppage imposed by recent COVID-19 pandemic. In any case, the circumstances were nearly the same for both sides tonight and Juventus were undeniably the ones who really fell short on expectations. The Vecchia Signora were the big favorites ahead of this clash and if you understand how betting odds work, it was hard to believe things could have gone wrong for Sarri's men. Tonight's game finished with a 0-0 draw on the scoreline, which immediately led to a penalty shootout in order to decide who was going to take the Coppa Italia trophy home. Napoli was more efficient from the penalty spot and beat Juventus 4-2, capitalizing on Dybala and Danilo's early misses. Cristiano Ronaldo didn't even get the chance to take his shot...
Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Napoli vs Juventus
Napoli 0-0 Juventus - Goals and highlights:
All Cristiano Ronaldo actions vs Napoli:
A disappointing final from all perspectives...
Following the goalless draw against AC Milan just a few days ago that allowed the Bianconeri to qualify to today's game, Sarri looked determined in not changing many pieces in his puzzle for this Wednesday's cup final against Napoli. Buffon maintained his spot in goal, while the only change in the starting eleven took place in the back four, replacing Danilo with Cuadrado. The Colombian player started next to Bonucci, De Ligt and Alex Sandro in the champions' defensive line, with the midfield formed by Matuidi, Pjanic and Bentacur. In attack, Douglas "Speedy" Costa supported Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The first highlight in the first half was produced by Cristiano Ronaldo, around the 5th minute of the game. The Portuguese star received a pass from Dybala just outside the box and without much room for many touches, he instantly shoot the ball in an attempt to curl it into the far post. However, Alex Meret was well placed in goal to make the save and the goalless draw would remain being the scoreline in this cup final...
The Sicilians' response came in around the 24th minute of the first half, when a free-kick from Lorenzo Insigne took the ball to a close meeting with one of the posts, while Gianluigi Buffon appeared to be controlling the ball's trajectory. With the two sides unable to break the deadlock in the first 45 minutes, the half-time break was welcomed by both managers since strategies needed to be adjusted on both ends and a trophy was on the line...
Napoli took the final more seriously...
The second half brought us a very similar game to the one we had seen in the first 45 minutes, with very few goalscoring chances on both ends, but this time with Napoli having a bit more possession than Juve. At times, it almost looked as if the Sicilians were the ones more interested in having the game decided before the final whistle and by doing so, dodging the penalty shootout. The Bianconeri were unable to put Napoli on their back foot and they finished the second half with a single shot on target against 5 of their opponents...
In the last play of the game, Napoli had their best chance in the whole game to score, but hit the post again after a big mess inside Juventus' box. Nevertheless, the fate was sealed and Napoli ended up coming on top in the penalty shootout, not missing any of their first 4 attempts from the spot. Juventus, on the other hand, saw Dybala and Danilo missing their first two shots, which made them fall behind by 2 goals and ultimately lose this final. Cristiano Ronaldo, who was getting ready to take Juventus' 5th penalty, didn't get the chance to hit the back of the net since Napoli had already won the game ahead of their 5th penalty.
Juventus must now focus on their Serie A campaign in the upcoming weeks and then prepare for an even tougher battle in Europe, when the Champions League resumes next August.
Juventus line-up vs Napoli:
Goalkeeper: Buffon
Defenders: Alex Sandro, De Ligt, Bonucci, Cuadrado
Midfielders: Matuidi, Bentancur, Pjanic
Attackers: Douglas Costa, Dybala, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
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|---|---|---|
Napoli
|
vs
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Juventus
|
0 |
Goals |
0 |
15 |
Shots |
13 |
7 |
Shots on goal |
3 |
5 |
Corner kicks |
5 |
9 |
Fouls commited |
19 |
1 |
Yellow cards |
2 |
0 |
Red cards |
0 |
46% |
Ball possession |
54% |
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Juventus in the Serie A is on June 22, against Bologna. You can watch Bologna vs Juventus, Real Madrid vs Eibar, Mallorca vs Barcelona, Manchester City vs Arsenal, Napoli vs Inter, and Fortuna Dusseldorf vs Borussia Dortmund, all matches provided from our live soccer game pages.
Juventus next game:
Bologna vs Juventus kick-off time (22-06-2020):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 03:45
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 02:45
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 01:15
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+2: 21:45
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 21:45
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:45
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 16:45
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 15:45
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 12:45
Sources: ronaldo7.net / skysports.com / cbssports.com / juventus.com
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