Cristiano Ronaldo has everything okay with trophies. Including those when everything is decided in one single final match. He has won Euro 2016 and the League of Nations with the national team, five titles in the Champions League, and four at the club world championships with Manchester United and Real. Domestic cups with such a track record can only look like a backdrop, but it seems that Ronaldo is obsessed with victories. It is fundamentally important to win all prizes without exception.
Moreover, each of them is a milestone in a career. For example, Cristiano won his only FA Cup in his debut year in the British Isles, and even with his goal laid the foundation for the defeat of Millwall (3:0). In Spain, the Portuguese in the finals twice prevailed in the El Clasico. In one, however, Real Madrid managed without the help of its leader. Ronaldo, who was eager for battle, was persuaded to save himself for more important games not only by doctors but also personally by Florentino Perez. Perhaps then the president of Real Madrid recalled that Ronaldo had already won one Cup and became the author of the only goal.
On the Apennines, however, the main star of Juventus has not won the domestic cup yet. The Super Cup and the Scudetto were won on the first try, while the campaign for the second trophy in status was interrupted by the humiliating defeat of Atalanta. Gian Piero Gasperini’s team was already excellent then, and Ronaldo and his teammates were outplayed without any chance of success (0:3).
Cristiano Ronaldo is a unique figure – not only in Europe but in the whole world as well. To further emphasize his influence around the world, we can remember that a university in Canada offered a degree centered around the Portuguese star, a thing which you won’t see very often. For this reason, he gained tremendous popularity in North America which had a direct impact on the gambling industry as well. Most notably, when Cristiano was in Real Madrid and Juventus casino promotions in Canada started to focus primarily on the Portuguese. This very pure example of announcing a degree on Cristiano shows how popular he is around the world and in Juventus also.
The current final had nothing to do with that beating, except for the helplessness of La Vecchia Signora, which was again forced to play by the rules of others. It tried to offer its own rules but could not boast of anything other than possession of the ball. Meret, who replaced the disqualified Ospina as the keeper, in both cases played flawlessly when Ronaldo and Dybala both had chances to score.
Napoli resembled the collective of Gennaro Gattuso, turning into an analog of its mentor of his best times. Arriving at the club in the midst of a conflict between football players and President
Aurelio De Laurentiis, Gattuso taught the southerners in a short time that they did not succeed even in the best of times Maurizio Sarri – the ability to achieve results. Wait and endure, if necessary, adjusting to the opponent and methodically knock out all its cards.
The amazing density between the lines, the synchronous movements of the players depending on the development of events – everything worked like a clock. And if their rhythm suddenly went astray for a split second, the Neapolitans did not see anything shameful in tactical fouls. Even the best sniper in the club’s history could put Dybala in the middle of the field and stifle Juve’s chances of a quick attack.
In part, it was a catenaccio classic, only it served only as an element of Gattuso’s chosen tactics. His players were not primitively waiting for a rare chance, such as Insigne’s free-kick into the post, but played smartly and variably. Out of the pressure came out of the game in a pass. In the attack, they exploded in the best traditions of Sarriball – by rapid transfers and a dizzying change of position. For a while, Buffon, who almost didn’t get into the picture, had to stop Demme, who was leaving one on one, before leaving for a break.
The illusion of territorial advantage seemed to lull Juventus but did not teach anything. Sarri made non-stop notes in his notebook, but after the break, Napoli became different. Southerners increasingly included pressure from the penalty area and periodically switched to a positional attack.
This, however, is only a detail, and more importantly, a systematic work that brings results. In the winter, Gattuso defeated Juventus in Serie A (2:1) for a month and gave a cool draw with Barcelona in the Champions League (1:1), finding the key for the two best players of our time – Ronaldo and Messi. After quarantine, Antonio Conte and his Inter did not enter the final, and on Wednesday it beat Juventus in all respects. Before the penalty shootout, which began immediately after the end of regular time, only the great Buffon reached the hegemony.
Gigi’s two brilliant rescues in the last minutes can be safely sent to the selection of the best moments of the year. Only in history will winners remain – Napoli and the stunning Gattuso. A year and a half ago, squeezing all the juices from the problematic Milan, Gattuso knocked out the Neapolitans from the cup tournament. Now – he returned their favor and won the first trophy in his career.
He did not even get to the moment when he should take a penalty. The Portuguese, of course, will be criticized for the lackluster game; however, even geniuses cannot solve everything alone. Even the most stellar team needs a trainer of the proper level. Sarri, despite winning the Europe League with Chelsea, simply does not become a winner. He lost to Gattuso the Cup final and previously was beaten in the Super Cup by another new wave coach – Simone Inzaghi. In the championship, Lazio trails Juventus by just one point. For a complete nightmare, Sarri still has to miss out on the Scudetto. What seemed insane could very well become a reality.
