Napoli wins Coppa Italia
Estadio Olimpico, Rome – Distanced in the Serie A standings at only the 6th place, Napoli lifted the Coppa Italia trophy thanks to a dramatic finish on penalty shootouts. The final between Napoli and Juventus saw no goals after the 90 minutes of regular time. No extra period is awarded in the competition. The Coppa Italia winner had to be determined on penalties.
Dybala and Danilo misfire
Juventus started the penalty shootout session on the wrong foot. In fact, the first two strikers missed their shot while Insigne and Politano scored on their attempt. The difference was created and the outcome set.
Juventus will convert their next two opportunities, so did Napoli. The Neapolitan head coach, Gattuso, wins his first ever trophy as manager and Napoli their 6th Coppa Italia.
Reactions from the pitch
Napoli’s all-time record goalscorer, Mertens, on the win:
“We’ve shown what a great team spirt we have here. We wanted to win something important and we gave everything tonight to make it a special evening for us and our fans.
“[Gennaro] Gattuso came in and gave us a new lease of life. We’ve switched to a style of play that suits us better. I think the seeds of our success tonight were planted months ago.”
Juventus coach, Sarri on the Italian Cup loss:
“There is disappointment for the boys, for the club, for the fans. This is a particular moment, both for the physical condition and for some important absences. Today we made different choices than usual, pressing less high to have a better grip at a distance . We played the game with good levels of application.
At this moment, however, we lack brilliance to make the game dangerous. Without that brilliance, it becomes more difficult to jump the man, which our players are normally used to doing easily, and finding other solutions. Two 0-0 draws are, in fact, unprecedented and I think it is now characteristic of this period.”
