After the Bianconeri’s well-deserved victory against Verona over the weekend, Juventus have managed to edge Sassuolo in 2-1 victory, securing their spot in the Semi Finals of the Coppa Italia where they are set to face off against Fiorentina.
Traore Cancels out Dybala’s Opener
Throughout the opening minutes of the fixture, Juventus imposed their dominance immediately as the Old Lady circulated the ball with a great deal of pace and were innovative through the use of one-two combinations through the middle in order to create openings out-wide.
In the third minute, Arthur distributed a well-weighted ball for Alex Sandro along the flanks. The Brazilian full-back did a brilliant job of maneuvering around the defender through his excellent dribbling skills and diced a brilliant ball across the box for Weston McKennie. The young American’s attempt on goal was blocked, but Paulo Dybala pounced on the rebound as he struck a venomous volley into the back of the net to hand Allegri’s side the early lead.
Although the Bianconeri’s early opener stunned Alessio Dionisi’s men, the Neroverdi remained focus as they eased into the game through their fast-paced style of play within the final third of the pitch. Sassuolo began posing a huge threat at out-wide as Hamed Traore and Georgious Kyriakopoulos’ attempts were brilliantly saved by saved by Mattia Perin.
In addition, the Greek full-back also delivered a brilliant cross for Gianluca Scamacca, who’s header went above the cross-bar. With Juventus beginning to collapse defensively, it was only a matter of time for Sassuolo to score a vital leveler in Turin.
In the 24th minute, Traore made a spectacular run of out-wide and distributed a pass for Scamacca. The Italian talisman used his brilliant hold-up play and laid the ball off for the Ivorian winger at the top of the box. The 21 year-old slivered through Juventus’ back-line and curled a stunner into the top-right corner in order to cancel out Dybala’s opener, forcing Juventus to settle for a draw at the end of the first half.
Vlahovic Last-Gasp Strike Avoids Scary Exit from Coppa Italia
Throughout the second half, the Bianconeri improved drastically as they dominated the central area of the pitch and distributed the ball within the final third with creativity and flare.
In the 54th minute, Dybala did a brilliant job to bring down Leonardo Bonucci’s through ball and sliced a delicious pass for McKennie in Sassuolo’s zone. The 23 year-old midfield ace took a one-touch shot and his attempt bounced off the wind-work.
Later on, Vlahovic had two significant opportunities after both Bonucci and McKennie served him a pair of brilliant passes in between the lines on a silver platter. Unfortunately, the Serbian international failed to capitalize on his occasions as Gianluca Pegolo made two brilliant saves to keep Dionisi’s men alive within this fixture.
Shortly after, Alex Sandro distributed a well-placed cross for McKennie in the 18 yard box. The American’s thunderous header was brilliantly stopped by the keeper but unfortunately, Matthijs de Ligt misfired the rebound as it went out for a goal-kick. The Old Lady kept knocking on Sassuolo’s door aggressively as they felt that the game-winning goal was imminent.
In the 88th minute, Dybala launched an impressive pass for Vlahovic out-wide. The 22 year-old marksman did brilliantly to beat the full-back out-wide with his mesmerizing dribbling skills and cut into the box. The Serbian remained cool as cucumber as he struck a quick-fire shot that deflected off of Ruan and skipped past Pegolo into the back of the net to secure Juventus’ spot into the semi finals of the Coppa Italia.
What’s Next for Juventus and Sassuolo?
The Bianconeri prepare to head off to Bergamo to face Atalanta in a vital fixture in order tighten their grip on a spot for next season’s Champion’s League. Meanwhile, Sassuolo are set to play against Roma in an exciting match-up as they seek to obtain three points in order to push for European football next season.