Juve head into Coppa Italia semifnials after Bremer goal

Juventus will be looking to defeat Soezia this weekend.

COPPA ITALIA Juve head into Coppa Italia semifnials after Bremer goal

Ayoola Kelechi 23:09 - 02.02.2023

Juventus found some respite from their recent off-field problems to secure a place in the Coppa Italia semifinals

Brazilian centre-back Bremer scored the only goal for Juventus as they beat Lazio 1-0 in the Coppa Italia quarterfinal to set up a mouthwatering semifinal clash with Inter. 

In a game where Juventus showed their defensive superiority to Lazio, it was only fitting that they would find the winner through a defender. 

When Bremer was not making sure that Lazio did not get a clear sniff at the Old Lady’s goal, he snuck into the opposition to steal a header from a corner to give Juventus some respite from their recent troubles. 

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How it happened 

In an expectedly cagey affair, both sides did well to cancel each other out in the early exchanges, but as the game progressed, Juventus began to exert their dominance over Lazio more and more, winning possession and finding more dangerous pockets of space to exploit. 

They had the better chances and should have scored on two occasions, first with Adrien Rabiot heading straight at the goalkeeper from point-blank range and then Dusan Vlahovic hitting his effort into the stands when he should have found the target. 

Juventus continued to dominate Lazio and restricted them to only three shots on goal in the first half, none of which hit the target. 

Juventus, on the other hand, continued to create chances and made good use of their 55% possession in the opening period to test Lazio goalkeeper Luis Maximiano three times, one of those times eventually leading to the opening goal. 

The goal came on the cusp of halftime as Juventus’ 6 ft 2 in defender Bremer rose highest to meet Filip Kostic’s cross and power his header past Maximiano. 

The second half was the stark opposite of the first, as Maurizio Sarri’s men tried to no avail to breach the Juventus wall. 

Despite having 69% possession to Juventus’ 39% in the second half, Lazio failed to create any clear-cut goalscoring opportunities and failed to hit a shot from within the Old Lady’s box for the full 45 minutes. 

They fired away eight shots at Juventus' goal, but only managed to get one on target, which ended up as a routine stop for Juventus’ Mattia Perin. 

That was the only save that Perrin had to make throughout the match, as he was ably defended by a sturdy backline that blocked five of Lazio’s eight shots in the second half. 

Juventus to meet Inter in Coppa Italia semifinal

They say the reward for hard work is more work, and that perfectly applies to Juventus’ situation. 

After keeping their first clean sheet in five games, and keeping at bay a Lazio team that hit AC Milan for four just a few days ago, Juventus will now head into the Coppa Italia semifinals with Inter waiting for them after their win against Atalanta. 

On the other side of the draw, giant killers, Cremonense take on Fiorentina for a place in the final. Having already seen off Napoli and Roma, it would be foolhardy to write of Cremonense at any stage. 

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