Last Tuesday, Juventus took a major step towards the Coppa Italia final, as they earned a 2-1 victory against Inter away at the Guiseppe Meazza.
Lautaro Martinez had given the hosts an early lead, but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized for the Old Lady from the spot kick, before pouncing onto a defensive fumble to get his brace.
The 2-1 win means that the Bianconeri will head to the second leg – which will be held at home – with an important advantage, as Antonio Conte’s men will have to score at least two goals at the Allianz stadium in order to progress.
But how exactly were the Italian champions able to earn this hard fought victory only two weeks after their humbling defeat against the same opponents and at the same turf?
From our personal observation, three key elements that were missing during the Serie A loss against Inter, were fortunately on display on Tuesday.
The first of the three is Character. After conceding the early goal, the Bianconeri supporters began to fear a repeat of the last Derby d’Italia scenario.
Nonetheless, Andrea Pirlo’s men lifted themselves up and went back on the offense.
Although Juve hadn’t created numerous opportunities before the equalizer, but at least the team remained solid – instead of breaking down like last time.
The second aspect is Determination. This is arguably the element that shone the brightest throughout the 90 minutes.
Whether it was Cuadrado’s persistence on making the run towards the goal prior to earning the penalty, or Ronaldo’s willingness to chase the ball which caused havoc within the Inter defenses which led to the second goal, or the miraculous saves made by Buffon and Demiral, every Juve player on the pitch was fully dedicated to the cause.
The last element is simply lady luck. It is often said that a person creates his own luck, but a little bit of extra fortune would never hurt.
During the current season, the Old lady fans have probably felt that their luck has abandoned them, especially in the encounters against the likes of Spezia, Verona and Lazio, or perhaps every time Morata’s goals were disallowed due a microscopic offside call.
On the contrary, it seemed that the heavens were smiling on Pirlo’s men during the Coppa Italia clash.
Although the spot kick awarded was definitely a legitimate call – as Ashley Young did indeed hold Cuadrado in an illegal way – but Bernardeschi’s cross was heading to the outside of the pitch, so had the Englishman avoided committing that needless foul, his side would have safely survived the attack.
It could also be argued that on another day, Ronaldo’s shot on the second goal could have escaped the target, or at least get rejected by the left post, and the same could be said about Demiral’s incredible goal clearance, as the young defender happened to be at the exact right spot.
So whilst Pirlo definitely did better this time in his tactical battle against Conte, his biggest achievement last night was sending out a team full of character and determination, and with a little bit of luck, it was mission accomplished in the San Siro.
