Juventus wins Coppa Italia 2018

In an old Italian rival clash between Juventus and AC Milan in the Coppa Italia final, three African players made it to the starting XI. Ghanaian midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah was deployed in the left back position for Juventus next to Morrocan defender Mehdi Benatia, while Ivory Coast international, Franck Kessié was at the heart of the midfield for Gattuso’s AC Milan. Asamoah and Kessié were looking to shine in a cup final because that’s all they had to fight for since their national teams failed to qualify to this year’s FIFA World Cup Russia 2018. As it was a final, there could only be one winner at the end of the match and Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus pulled through with a convincing 4-0 win.

The result, however, could not have been predicted after having watched the first period of the match. The Bianconeri were on par with AC Milan as both teams failed to score a single goal even though they both created a few decent chances. The second half saw a mean-looking Juventus side that has been dominating Italy in the past decade. First, it was Miralem Pjanic’s corner that found its way to an unmarked Mehdi Benatia who headed past Gianluigi Donnarumma on the 56th minute. The goalkeeper could not keep out Douglas Costa’s shot from going in just 6 minutes later as his effort bounced off the keeper’s chest before finding its way into the net. Morrocan international Benatia was at hand again to score Juventus’ 3rd goal after Donnarumma dropped it in the box. Pjanic once again delivered a cross that was flicked in by Kalinic to confirm Juventus’ 4-0 against AC Milan in the cup final. Congrats to the Bianconeri!

Allegri: Madrid Are the Team to Beat

Juventus coach Allegri believes that Real Madrid are once again the title favorites after eliminating PSG. The Spanish club had been struggling in form this season as they are currently sitting in 3rd place with just a point ahead of Valencia in fourth. Allegri feels that Madrid are the team to beat and he is keen to avoid them in the quarterfinal round. “This is because their focus is solely on that competition and also that there is nobody else that deals with games in this competition like they do,” said Allegri. He said the same about Barcelona who are hungry for the title which has eluded them in the past two seasons when Real Madrid were dominating. Barcelona host Chelsea on Wednesday for the final clash between the two. Many celebrations will come from the qualifying teams if another big club in Barcelona falls at this early round. Let us wait and see who gets to pack their bags this round because this tournament never disappoints.