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Juventus held Inter Milan to a 0-0 draw at the Allianz Arena tonight to seal their place in the final of the Coppa Italia. Despite being a goalless encounter, the second leg of the semi-final was highly entertaining and a well-contested game.
The hosts got the game off to a great start and dominated the proceedings for the first 20 minutes of the game. Inter then started threatening Juventus' defense as the half-hour mark approached.
Chances came aplenty for both sides in the final 20 minutes of the first half but despite that, both sides could only record one shot on target before the break.
The visitors had an early penalty appeal denied by Maurizio Mariani as he did not find anything malicious when Lautaro Martinez went down in the box following a clash with Federico Bernardeschi.
Cristiano Ronaldo had two shots blocked brilliantly by Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni, while the Portuguese's fierce strike was saved by Samir Handanovic at the near post two minutes before the half-time whistle.
Both sides picked up where they left off in the first half and continued to move the ball well when in possession. A solid, no-nonsense defensive approach from the defenders was the highlight of the second half, which kept the scoreline intact.
Juventus came into the game with an advantage on aggregate and just needed a draw to head into the final. Well, Andrea Pirlo came in with a strategy to do just that and executed it perfectly to deny Inter Milan a shot at their first silverware since 2011.
Here, we take a look at the five major talking points from the game.
#5 Central defenders of both sides played a crucial role in denying goalscoring chances
Tonight the centre-halves of both sides put in an inspired display on the pitch. The defenders were not afraid to put their bodies on the line and made plenty of crucial interventions in the form of well-timed tackles, interceptions, and blocks to keep the scoreline even.
Merih Demiral produced two blocks in the early stages of the game, one of which was an important one, from Christian Eriksen's shot. His partner Matthijs De Ligt did well to keep Romelu Lukaku and Martinez's runs in check.
At the other end of the pitch the trio of Bastoni, De Vrij, and Milan Skriniar were not particularly busy but showed awareness of the danger. There were a couple of occasions on which Ronaldo had a clear sight on goal and the only thing between him and the back of the net were the brilliant blocks by Bastoni and De Vrij.
The defenders continued their impressive shift in the second half as well and did not allow the attackers to take even one extra touch near the box. While most games in modern football are all about attack, the defenders, especially the centre-halves, were some of the most important players on the pitch tonight.
#4 Samir Handanovic heroics delayed Inter's eventual exit from the competition
Though the Inter defenders were at the top of their game for the most part, with Ronaldo to defend against, time and again it all came down to how well the Inter Milan No.1 Samir Handanovic reacted to the Serie A top scorer's shots.
The 36-year-old reacted well, as he has done for so long with the club, and denied Ronaldo, who was Juve's biggest threat in the game, thrice from close range. All three were top-notch saves with the first coming just before the break when Handanovic saved Ronaldo's effort at the near post with his feet.
The second was probably the best save of the night, in which he reacted quickly to Ronaldo's driven strike after being left at the prolific goalscorer's mercy by his defenders in the 64th minute.
Just six minutes later he was called into action again and proved equal to Ronaldo's attempt from a one-on-one situation. Though he conceded twice in the first leg, he did all he could in this match and his heroics were undone by a great defensive display of their own by Juventus.
Also See: 10 highest-paid players in the Serie A this season (2020/21)
#3 Inter Milan have failed to score at the Allianz Arena for seven games in a row
Inter Milan found it very difficult to find a way past the Juventus defenders tonight. The duo of Lukaku and Martinez, who've scored 24 goals in Serie A this term, were kept quiet by the hosts' disciplined backline as the game ended in a goalless draw.
Interestingly, the visitors have not been able to score a goal at the Allianz Arena in their last seven trips across all competitions. The goalless run at Juventus' home stretches all the way back to January 2015, when former striker Mauro Icardi scored an equalizing goal in the Serie A meeting between the two sides.
While they had as many as 21 shots in the game, only three were on target, which tells us a lot about how well Juventus contained them.
#2 Juventus keep their sixth clean sheet in seven games across all competitions
Juventus produced a remarkable defensive display tonight to make their first-leg advantage count. Although Leonardo Bonucci was on the bench for the game, the duo of young centre-halves Matthijs De Ligt and Merih Demiral were solid at the heart of the defensive tonight.
The players ensured that veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon did not have much to deal with throughout the game. While the defenders deserve credit for keeping the likes of Lukaku and Martinez quiet tonight, the midfielders, particularly Rabiot and Bentancur, also did a good job of breaking up Inter's play.
Though Pirlo was criticized in his early days as Juve's coach for his inability to stop his side from conceding goals, tonight's shutout was Juve's sixth clean sheet in seven games and it seems they are again building on defense as their biggest strength.
#1 Juventus' heavy reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo in the final third is a bit concerning
Cristiano Ronaldo's brace in the first-leg gave Juventus what eventually proved to be the decisive lead in this two-legged semi-final clash. Even tonight, Ronaldo, who recently turned 36, was The Old Lady's best player in the final third.
If not for the heroics of Handanovic, he could've easily bagged another brace tonight. Though it is a great sight for Pirlo to see his top player deliver one impressive performance after the other, this term his side have been heavily reliant on Ronaldo for the spark in front of goal.
With the Champions League also returning next week, Pirlo needs to find someone who can help take some of the goalscoring burden off Ronaldo, who needs to be at his best if the reigning Serie A champions are hoping to lift the treble this term.
Also See: The 10 highest-paid goalkeepers in the world
