Despite another less than brilliant performance and thanks to Milik’s goal only in the 83rd minute, Juve barely managed to get through to the Italian Cup final against Lazio. At the Olimpico the Biancocelesti won 2-1 (the Bianconeri 2-0 in the first leg) thanks to Castellanos’ brace, However, it was made in vain by the late blaze of the Pole as soon as he came off the bench. Allegri’s team will thus try to gain a little satisfaction in a season of shadows, awaiting the winner of Atalanta-Fiorentina, while Tudor’s men are eliminated but still with their heads held high.
Called to the difficult but not impossible task of overcoming the two goals conceded in the first leg, the Biancocelesti took just a dozen minutes to call the qualification question into question: from a corner by Luis Alberto came the winning header by Castellanos, left too long free to break away from an inattentive Alex Sandro. As the minutes passed, the Bianconeri tried to come out on top and in the 23rd minute they came close to equalizing with Vlahovic, blocked by Mandas after a first-time left-footed shot deflected in front of goal by Gila.
Close to the interval, the Romans would have the opportunity to double their lead, but this time Castellanos wastes it by being hypnotized one-on-one by Perin as he comes out. The Argentine striker, however, made up for it at the start of the second half, scoring his personal brace and making it 2-0 for Lazio (again with an assist from Luis Alberto) which put the double match back on complete parity. Juve is not willing and immediately tries to react, coming close to scoring twice in a few moments: Marusic is providential in anticipating Vlahovic on the line and practically saving a goal already scored, just a minute later instead the Serbian crosses too much of a right diagonally, sending it just to the side. However, the Bianconeri are struggling to raise the revs of their engine, so Allegri is forced to draw from the bench: in the 82nd minute the coach throws Yildiz and above all Milik into the fray, with the Pole who not even a minute later scored the 2-1 in front of goal on Weah’s cross shot. It is the goal that decides the semi-finals and allows Juve to reach the last act.