Napoli are 2020 Coppa Italia champions following a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over Juventus in Rome’a Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Wednesday night (June 17).
Veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was in inspired form for Juventus in regulation time, making a succession of vital stops and the stage appeared set for the veteran to lead the Bianconeri to glory in the shootout, yet two team-mates failed from the spot as Napoli kept their nerve.
Napoli goalkeeper, Alex Meret who was playing only because of David Ospina’s suspension, denied Paulo Dybala from 11 metres before Danilo missed the target entirely to guarantee Neapolitan joy and deny Cristiano Ronaldo the chance to claim a treble this season. Ronaldo should have scored inside the opening five minutes but his low shot was kept out by after Dybala pounced on a defensive error.
The best efforts came at the other end, starting with Lorenzo Insigne’s curling free-kick that bounced away off the left-hand post.
Pressure built on Buffon’s goal heading into the interval and he blocked with his legs from Diego Demme’s drive and then touched another Insigne attempt around the post.
Napoli substitute Arkadiusz Milik blasted off-target from a dangerous position in the second period, while Insigne was similarly wayward when faced with a tight angle.
Further Buffon heroics were reserved for the final seconds of stoppage time, as the World Cup winner got down to Nikola Maksimovic’s powerful header before helping to divert Eljif Elmas’ close-range follow-up away via the upright.
But it would be Meret, not Buffon, who would prove the match-winner, saving superbly from Dybala and watching Danilo hack an awful penalty over the crossbar. Insigne, Matteo Politano, Maksimovic and Milik all found the net to secure Napoli’s first trophy since winning the Supercoppa Italiana under Rafael Benitez – Sarri’s predecessor – in 2014, also against Juve after a shootout.
