Juventus Flattens Frosinone to Set Up Coppa Italia Semi-Final with Lazio
Arkadiusz Milik scored a sensational hat-trick before the acrobatic Kenan Yildiz volley, as Juventus flattened Frosinone 4-0 to set up the Coppa Italia semi-final with Lazio.
The Bianconeri missed Federico Chiesa, Adrien Rabiot, Moise Kean and Mattia De Sciglio, while Dusan Vlahovic was on the bench with flu symptoms. The Canarini knocked Napoli out with a 4-0 win in the last round, but were without Jaime Baez, Riccardo Marchizza and Sergio Kalaj, while Juve-owned Matias Soule and Enzo Barrenechea were carrying knocks.
Hat-trick 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎 Arek Milik fires Juventus into the #CoppaItalia semis 🏆🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/eHo5ymzLP5
— Match Spoots (@matchspoots) January 11, 2024
This was Max Allegri’s 400th official match on the Juventus bench in two different spells.
Juventus earned a penalty in the opening minutes when Fabio Miretti ran into the box between three Frosinone players, two of whom attempted and failed to get the ball, sandwiching him for a spot-kick that Arek Milik converted.
Abdou Harroui and Arjon Ibrahimovic fired straight at Mattia Perin from distance, while Filip Kostic thought he had scored in a chaotic move only to be denied by the Marco Brescianini goal-line clearance.
Frosinone were pouring forward, but were caught out on the counter by an inspired Milik. The striker started the move from inside his own half with a long cross-field pass for Weston McKennie, then sprinted forward to meet the return pass at the back post with a chest and half-volley through Michele Cerofolini’s legs.
Timothy Weah stung Cerofolini’s gloves from distance and Federico Gatti used his body to ensure Kaio Jorge couldn’t tap in the ball flashed across the face of goal.
After the restart, a deflection made the McKennie shot tricky for Cerofolini, but Milik completed his hat-trick. It was laid on a plate for him by Manuel Locatelli, whose high press had caught Luca Garritano napping on a poor Cerofolini pass. No Juventus player had scored a Coppa Italia hat-trick since Alessandro Del Piero in January 2006 against Fiorentina.
Milik thought he had scored a fourth goal on 57 minutes when redirecting a wayward Miretti effort from the edge of the box, but it was ruled offside by VAR.
Juventus did get a fourth by Kenan Yildiz with an acrobatic volley at the far post on another McKennie assist from the right, taking it with his right foot.
Perin was right behind an Enzo Barrenechea glancing header, while the deflected Hans Nicolussi Caviglia strike was just over and Andrea Cambiaso stung Cerofolini’s gloves on the counter.
Luca Garritano should’ve scored a consolation in stoppages only to balloon over the bar after a poor first touch.
The win sets up a mouth-watering semi-final clash with Lazio, who beat Milan 1-0 thanks to a late Pedro penalty. The first leg will be at the Allianz Stadium on February 8th, with the return leg at the Stadio Olimpico on March 8th.
The win was a welcome one for Allegri, who has been under pressure in recent weeks following a string of inconsistent results in Serie A. The Coppa Italia is now a realistic target for the Bianconeri, who last won the trophy in 2021.
Milik’s performance was the standout of the night. The Polish striker has been in fine form since joining Juventus from Napoli in the summer, and his hat-trick will give him a much-needed confidence boost.
Kenan Yildiz’s goal was also a moment to savor for the young Turkish midfielder. The 19-year-old has been one of the brightest sparks in Juventus’ academy in recent years, and his goal on his Coppa Italia debut was a just reward for his hard work.
Overall, it was a dominant performance from Juventus, who will be hoping to carry their momentum into the league in the coming weeks. The Coppa Italia semi-final against Lazio promises to be a thrilling encounter, and Juventus will be confident of securing their place in the final.
