Striker Arkadiusz Milik scored a late goal as Juventus qualified for the Coppa Italia final with a 3-2 aggregate win over Lazio, despite losing 2-1 in the second leg of the semi-final on Tuesday.
Juventus, which holds the record for the number of times it has won the tournament with 14 times, and which lifted its last title so far when it won the Italian Cup in the 2020-2021 season, reached the final of the competition for the 22nd time.
Juventus qualifies for the Italian Cup final
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said in a press conference: “Lazio had to turn the score around. It was normal for the opponent to play fiercely.”
He added: “After falling behind 2-0 at the start of the second half, Juventus’ performance improved, and we came out with the required result against Lazio. (But) we should have scored first.”
He continued: “Today was an important match. Our exit would have led to serious psychological repercussions, given that we have not yet qualified mathematically for the Champions League.”
Striker Valentin Castellanos beat the Juventus defence, giving Lazio the lead with a header in the 12th minute, after a corner kick from Luis Alberto.
He could have scored the second goal before the end of the first half when he penetrated into the penalty area after receiving another wonderful pass from Alberto, but Juventus goalkeeper Mattia Perin blocked his low shot.
But Castellanos equalized the score of both matches after the break, when Alberto passed him the ball on the edge of the penalty area.
Juventus then woke up and Dusan Vlahovic had two good chances shortly after, before Milik scored from close range 7 minutes before the end, taking advantage of a cross from Timothy Weah, as Juventus advanced to the final.
Atalanta will host Fiorentina on Wednesday in the second semi-final match.
Fiorentina had a 1-0 lead in the first leg.
The final match is scheduled to be held at the Olympic Stadium on May 15.
