Atalanta 1-2 Juventus: Player ratings as Bianconeri clinch 14th title | Coppa Italia 2020-21

Juventus won the 2020-21 Coppa Italia title after a 2-1 win over Atalanta in the final on Wednesday.

Andrea Pirlo’s men came into the game looking to make up for last season’s final defeat, and they did just that by clinching a record-extending 14th Coppa Italia title. Meanwhile, Atalanta fell short in their quest to win the competition for the first time since 1963.

Atalanta started the game on the front foot, controlling proceedings and probing the Juventus defence. However, they failed to capitalise on their lengthy spell of possession.

Against the run of play, Juventus grabbed the opening goal in the 31st minute, thanks to some brilliant work from Sweden international Dejan Kulusevski.

The 21-year-old picked up the ball from Weston Mckennie before whipping in a sweetly-struck effort from the edge of the box into the bottom corner.

However, Juventus failed to hold on to their lead for too long, as Atalanta came roaring back. Hans Hateboer pounced on a defensive error from Danilo before galloping down the right flank to set up Ruslan Malinovskyi in the 41st minute to restore parity.

Juventus started the second half with more intent, holding onto the ball with intent and looking to score the winner. Their constant probing paid off in the 73rd minute. Dejan Kulusevski and Federico Chiesa combined brilliantly just outside the box before the latter calmly sent his finish through the legs of Atalanta custodian Gollini.

Atalanta threw in the proverbial kitchen sink, but it was to no avail, as Juventus hung on to win their second piece of silverware in an otherwise disappointing campaign.

On that note, let's have a look at the player ratings of both teams.

Atalanta player ratings against Juventus

Pierluigi Gollini 6/10

The Atalanta shot-stopper had a relatively busy night between the sticks. While there was nothing Gollini could have done about Kulusevki’s brilliant strike and Chiesa’s calm finish, he did well to keep Atalanta in the game for large swathes. He also made a sensational save to deny Cristiano Ronaldo in the second half.

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Luis Palomino 5.5/10

Palomino struggled to deal with the pace of Juan Cuadrado and Weston McKennie and was often beaten by the Juventus frontmen in the air. The Atalanta man finished the game with two clearances, two interceptions and one tackle.

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Cristian Romero 7/10

Playing at the centre of Atalanta’s back three, Romero had a busy night trying to keep Cristiano Ronaldo at bay. But he did that superbly, as he limited the threat of the Portuguese star. Romero finished the game with three clearances and three tackles.

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Raphael Toloi 6/10

It was a decent outing from the Brazilian full-back. In attack, Toloi was a threat to Juventus, as he marauded down the right wing to join the attack. However, he struggled to produce the same efficacy defensively and could have done better to prevent Chiesa’s winner.

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Hans Hateboer 5.5/10

It was a tale of two halves for the Netherlands international. Hateboer did brilliantly to pounce on a loose pass in midfield before setting up Malinovskyi to level the scores in the first half. However, he fizzled out in the second half and had to be replaced by Ilicic in the 76th minute.

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Marten De Roon 7/10

Arguably Atalanta’s best player on the night, De Roon, ran tirelessly all game, combining his defensive and attacking duties diligently. He made four interceptions and two tackles and completed four of his eight attempted long balls.

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Remo Freuler 6/10

Freuler did a superb job of keeping the ball moving and accurately distributing it at the centre of the park. He completed over 92% of his 60 passes and all his long ball attempts. However, Freuler struggled to cope with the Juventus midfielders and came out second-best for most of the game.

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Robin Gosens 6/10

The German international had a tasking job of taking on the inspired Juan Cuadrado down the left flank. Gosens often glided deep into the Bianconeri third but lacked the cutting edge to make something happen in attack. He was eventually replaced by Aleksei Miranchuk in the 82nd minute.

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Matteo Pessina 7/10

It was another calm and collected performance from the 24-year-old attacking midfielder. Pessina kept the Juventus defence on their toes all game as he linked his midfield and attack brilliantly. He covered a lot of ground and was very accurate with his passes.

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Ruslan Malinovskyi 7.5/10

Arguably one of Atalanta’s best performers on the night, Malinovskyi did well to restore parity for his team by tucking home Hateboer’s cross in the 41st minute. He posed a threat to the Juventus backline in the second half as well. The Ukrainian has now scored seven goals in his last 11 games for Atalanta.

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Duvan Zapata 6/10

The Atalanta striker proved too difficult to handle for the Juventus defenders, thanks to his pace and strength. Zapata easily brushed off the challenges of Matthijs De Ligt and Giorgio Chiellini but failed to hit his stride in front of goal. He only had one chance in the game, which he failed to convert.

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Player ratings of Atalanta substitutes against Juventus

Luis Muriel 5.5/10

Muriel replaced Malinovskyi in the 68th minute as Atalanta sought a way back into the game. However, he struggled to grow into the game and failed to make an impact.

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Mario Paasalic 6/10

Paasalic came on in the 68th minute and played his part diligently. However, it was too little, too late for Atalanta to mount a comeback, as Juventus put up a strong defensive performance to protect their lead.

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Josip Ilisic 6/10

Ilisic was sent on in the 76th minute and injected life into the Atalanta midfield with his crisp passing and adept reading of the game.

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Berat Djimsiti 5/10

Djimsiti came on in the 76th minute but failed to make an impact against Juventus.

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Aleksei Miranchuk 5/10

Aleksei Miranchuk replaced Robin Gosens with seven minutes on the clock but failed to make a telling contribution.

Juventus Player Ratings

Gianluigi Buffon 6/10

The veteran goalkeeper replaced Wojciech Szczesny for what might have been his last game in a Juventus shirt. Buffon produced a solid outing, making a few decent saves to keep his team in the game. But there was nothing he could have done about Atalanta’s equaliser.

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Juan Cuadrado 7.5/10

Cuadrado was one of Juventus’ best performers in the game. While he occasionally struggled to hit his stride at the attacking end of the pitch, he was defensively superb. He limited the threat of Robin Gosens down the Atalanta left flank and finished the game with eight ground duels and three tackles won.

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Matthijs de Ligt 6/10

The former Ajax man struggled to handle the pace and physicality of Atalanta forward Duvan Zapata. Despite picking up an early yellow card, De Ligt did well to stay out of trouble and produced a solid defensive shift.

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Giorgio Chiellini 6.5/10

It was a vintage performance from the veteran defender. Chiellini played a huge role in helping Andrea Pirlo’s men play out from the back. He played his part in frustrating the Atalanta frontmen, finishing with six aerial duels and four clearances won.

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Danilo 6/10

The Brazilian came on for the injured Alex Sandro. Danilo was at fault for Atalanta’s goal, though, as it came about after the Brazilian produced a wayward pass in midfield. Nevertheless, he was solid down the left, winning three tackles and eight duels.

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Weston McKennie 7/10

It was an industrious performance from the American international. McKennie ran tirelessly at both ends of the pitch, constantly supporting the Atalanta defence and also joining the attack. He played a key role in Juventus' opening goal, too, as he set up Kulusevski with a neat pass.

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Rodrigo Bentancur 7/10

It was a solid shift from the Juventus midfielder. Bentancur provided a defensive shield for his defenders at the centre of the park. That allowed the likes of Adrien Rabiot and McKennie to roam forward freely. He finished the game with four tackles and four interceptions and hardly put a foot wrong.

Adrien Rabiot 6/10

It was a solid outing from the France international. Rabiot kept play ticking for Juventus at the centre of the park and linked up with his midfielders brilliantly. He also put in work at the defensive end of the pitch, winning all but one of his seven ground duels attempted against Atalanta.

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Federico Chiesa 8/10

It was an outstanding performance from the Juventus man. Chiesa ran at the Atalanta defenders at every given opportunity and tried to make something happen in attack.

He came close to scoring when he sent his shot crashing into the crossbar in the first half. Chiesa grabbed the winner for Juventus in the 73rd minute after an excellent interchange with Kulusevski before calmly slotting home a neat finish.

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Dejan Kulusevski 9/10

It was a 'Man of the Match' performance from the Swedish youngster. Playing against his former team, Kulusevski put on a clinic in attack, as he constantly threatened the opposition defence. He opened the scoring with a brilliant strike from the edge of the box before setting up the second with a sleek one-time pass to Chiesa.

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Cristiano Ronaldo 6.5/10

The Juventus superstar had a relatively quiet evening in attack. He was marked out by the Atalanta defence, who had their eyes on Ronaldo all game. However, the Portugal captain played his part diligently, linking up brilliantly with his teammates and providing some much-needed threat in the final third.

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Player ratings of Juventus substitutes against Atalanta

Paulo Dybala 5/10

The Argentine superstar came on for Federico Chiesa in the 73rd minute but had an uneventful outing for Andrea Pirlo’s men. Dybala finished with no shot attempted and completed none of his dribble attempts.

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Leonardo Bonucci 5.5/10

The veteran defender was sent on by Andrea Pirlo to help strengthen the Juventus defence and see out the win. He did just that when he came on for Kulusevski in the 83rd minute.