Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Coppa Italia
Semi-Final Second Leg
Stadio Olimpico, Turin
Juventus Lazio 1-2
A fantastic win against Juventus opens the gates to the final of the Coppa Italia
Juventus needed to win to get to the final and were clear favourites. But they needed the right attitude because the Biancocelesti had already shown in the first leg and in Milan that they had players who could change a game at any moment.
Lazio started the match quite well, by no means intimidated by the might of the Bianconeri. In the 2nd minute Cristian Ledesma took a free kick that was only just wide and a minute later Vincenzo Iaquinta was anticipated by Fernando Muslera. In the 5th minute Tommaso Rocchi stole the ball off Marco Marchionni but his shot was deflected into corner by a Juve defender.
Juventus did not show much determination, perhaps underestimating Lazio. They were slightly dangerous on a few corners but Lazio were controlling the match quite comfortably. In the 30th minute Muslera saved a David Trezeguet shot and seven minutes later Lorenzo Ariaudo put the ball over the crossbar from a favourable position. From the subsequent goal kick the ball reached Aleksander Kolarov on the left. He advanced and passed to Mauro Zarate outside the box but central. The Argentinian, as soon as the ball arrived, sent a curling shot towards goal beating Gianluigi Buffon and giving Lazio the lead.
At this point Juventus had to score three goals. Difficult but not impossible. Manager Claudio Ranieri in the second half took off Sebastian Giovinco and Marchionni and threw in heavy weights Pavel Nedved and Mauro Camoranesi. The Bianconeri tried to increase the pressure but it was again Zarate with a chance in the opening minutes of the second half but his shot went wide.
In the 51st minute Kolarov was on the edge of the box on the far left. His attempted shot (or cross) hit Zdenek Grygera and became an impossible ball to save for Buffon. Juve now needed to score four goals!!!
In the 58th minute a Trezeguet header was brilliantly saved by Muslera. In the 63rd minute Juventus reduced the deficit. Camoranesi crossed into the box, Lorenzo De Silvestri did not make contact, Alessandro Del Piero stopped the ball with his chest and volleyed it into the goal. In the 73rd minute Nedved’s header off a Camoranesi cross hit the woodwork.
The Bianconeri put more pressure on the Lazio defence but it was Zarate who had the chance to give Lazio a third goal but instead of passing the ball to a better positioned teammate he went for the shot that was parried by Buffon. Juventus basically gave up after Camoranesi was sent off for dissent in the 81st minute and the last chance was a Nedved shot saved into corner by Muslera.
Lazio were in the final. They would face Sampdoria who, after beating Inter at home for 3-0 in the first leg, managed to keep the Nerazzurri's onslaught to a minimum and only lost 1-0.
The final would be played at the Stadio Olimpico.
Who played for Juventus
Buffon, Grygera, Mellberg, Ariaudo, De Ceglie, Marchionni (46' Camoranesi), Tiago, Marchisio, Giovinco (46' Nedved), Iaquinta (60' Del Piero), Trezeguet
Substitutes: Manninger, Knezevic, Molinaro, Poulsen.
Manager: Ranieri.
Who played for Lazio
Muslera, Lichsteiner, Siviglia, Rozehnal, Kolarov, Brocchi (55’ De Silvestri), Ledesma, Matuzalem (71’ Dabo), Foggia (61’ Mauri), Rocchi, Zarate
Manager: Rossi
Referee: Rizzoli
Goals: 37’ Zarate, 51’ Kolarov, 63’ Del Piero
Sources