Juventus defeated Lazio 2-1 after extra time in the Coppa Italia Final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Wednesday night.
Stefan Radu opened the scoring for the Aquile and Giorgio Chiellini equalised for the Bianconeri in the first half while Alessandro Matri scored the winner in extra time.
Lazio lead after just four minutes when a free-kick from the right was headed in by Radu. His header looped into the goal and Juve goalkeeper Marco Storari couldn’t keep the ball out despite getting a touch.
Juventus equalised seven minutes later when a long Andrea Pirlo free-kick found Chiellini, whose scissor kick beat Etrit Berisha in the Lazio goal. Minutes later, Lazio midfielder Marco Parolo received a yellow card for a foul on Arturo Vidal.
Both teams created chances but the goalkeepers weren’t forced into making any demanding saves. Fernando Llorente headed the ball over the bar, Felipe Anderson blasted a shot high, Danilo Cataldi struck the ball straight at Storari and Evra also headed over the bar.
Berisha charged out of his box to head the ball away but soon after he kicked the ball into Carlos Tevez, whose touch near diverted the ball into the net.
Defences were on top for the first 10 minutes of the second half then the chances slowly came. Paul Pogba headed a Stephan Lichtsteiner cross over the bar and Parolo tried his luck from distance. Leonardo Bonucci received a yellow card for tripping Antonio Candreva minutes after Evra was yellow carded for tripping.
Santiago Gentiletti curled a free-kick over the bar and Parolo had another chance that went off target.
As the second half progress, Juve became more defensive and Lazio looked more willing to win the game in open play. Candreva and Anderson made some dribbles but they failed to create chances on goal with them.
Roberto Pererya came on for Pogba and his cross-shot flashed across goal, and Alessandro Matri, who replaced Llorente, had a goal ruled out for offside. In stoppage time, Tevez’s swerving shot from distance just went over the bar.
Filip Djordjevic replaced Klose in the second half and he hit both posts early in extra time with a left-foot strike. Then Matri headed wide after a Pereyra cross.
Matri put Juventus ahead seven minutes into extra time. He controlled the ball on the outside of his right boot and side-footed a shot with his right foot. Berisha got a touch but failed to keep the ball out.
Candreva was yellow carded early in the second period of extra time for a foul on Vidal off the ball. Pirlo then had a free-kick from a tight angle saved by Berisha.
Lazio searched for an equaliser but they failed to put Storari under serious pressure. Tevez could have made it 3-1 but his long-range effort missed the target.
