Alessandro Matri Secures Coppa Italia Win for Juventus as Treble Dream Continues

The Coppa Italia final took place on Wednesday evening, with the two sides both looking to the competition to add value to already excellent campaigns. For Lazio—currently sitting third in Serie A and seeking a lucrative Champions League berth—victory would have been a just reward for Stefano Pioli and his players.

It would’ve leant gravitas to a team who are arguably the peninsula’s most in-form team since the turn of the year, with the coach fully aware of its significance. “It is a huge opportunity for us,” Pioli told Rai Sport on Tuesday (h/t Football Italia), as the Rome-based side looked to repeat their 2013 triumph.

Facing them were Juventus, with a fourth consecutive title already assured and a place in European football’s most prestigious fixture still to come. The Champions League final awaits, but manager Massimiliano Allegri still named almost his strongest possible XI for this fixture at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

As he has throughout this competition, Marco Storari remained in goal at the expense of Gigi Buffon, while the Bianconeri were also forced to take to the field without two other regular members of the side.

Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Both Alvaro Morata—fresh from vanquishing former club Real Madrid—and Claudio Marchisio were suspended for this tie, their bans resulting from yellow cards picked up against Fiorentina in the previous round.

In their absence, Allegri opted to revert to a 3-5-2 formation, bringing in Andrea Barzagli alongside Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, only for Lazio to counter with a three-man defence of their own. The Turin giants may have won both league encounters without conceding a goal, but they quickly found themselves behind here, a fourth-minute free-kick presenting Danilo Cataldi with an opportunity to put the ball in the box.

His cross was perfect to Stefan Radu, and the Romanian defender made no mistake as his firm header found the back of the net. It was the 28-year-old’s first goal of the season as he captained the side, but just seven minutes later, his opposite number would match that feat.

With Buffon on the bench, Chiellini was the man to lead out the Bianconeri, and the skipper would equalise from a set piece of their own. Andrea Pirlo—himself perhaps at fault on Radu’s goal—whipped in an excellent pass that Patrice Evra headed back across goal towards the Juve No. 3.

An acrobatic overhead effort from the Italian international caught Etrit Berisha by surprise, the goalkeeper beaten by Chiellini at his near post. Numerous chances for both sides followed, with perhaps Felipe Anderson guilty of wasting the best of them—although substitute Filip Djordjevic squandered two gilt-edged chances to win the game for the Biancocelesti.

It would be a man from the Juve bench who ultimately decided the result, as Alessandro Matri came on for Fernando Llorente and saw a flurry of opportunities fall into his lap. He first netted after running onto a wonderful pass from Pirlo, only to discover the assistant referee had judged him to have been offside.

Matri then nodded a cross from fellow substitute Roberto Pereyra over the bar after the game had gone into extra time before his third chance proved to be the vital one. Carlos Tevez had his shot blocked, but he reacted quickest, his well-struck follow-up bid leaving Berisha powerless to keep it out.

"

Matri's goal. Mitra Matri. #JuveLazio https://t.co/SaFRy9f7nU

— Khaled Al Nouss (@KhaledAlNouss) May 20, 2015"

There were late attempts from both teams, but as the final whistle blew, it was the Old Lady who emerged victorious, with the on-loan striker proving to be the hero once again. Alessandro Matri may no longer be the most high-profile striker at the club, but he now has written his name in its history.

His goal sealed a league and cup double for Juventus, clinching their record 10th Coppa Italia victory in this narrowest of wins.