Coppa Italia, Empoli's feat: Juventus eliminated on penalties and historic semi-final

Turin, 26 February 2025 – Empoli achieved a sensational feat by eliminating Juventus on penalties and earning a pass to the first Coppa Italia semi-final in its history, where they will meet Bologna. A result that rewards what the Tuscans did over the course of the 90 minutes, having taken the lead in the 24th minute thanks to Maleh and then coming close to doubling their lead on several occasions, even hitting the post at the end of the first half with Konaté. However, Juve was able to withstand the shock and in the 66th minute rebalanced the result with the magic of Thuram who rekindled the Bianconeri who, however, despite the final push, were unable to put the arrow of the overtaking. In the penalty shootout, the Bianconeri errors of Vlahovic and Yldiz proved decisive, but above all the great precision of the Tuscans who put the exclamation point on the match with the final seal by Marianucci.

The choices of Thiago Motta and D'Aversa

Thiago Mott a, struggling with several absences in the black and white chessboard, remains faithful to the 4-2-3-1 and does not resort to rotation: almost obligatory choices in the back four in front of Perin, composed of Weah, Gatti, Kelly and Cambiaso. In midfield there is the pair formed by Thuram and Koopmeiners while in the offensive department the Italian-Brazilian coach lines up for the first time at the same time both Kolo Muani, positioned in the attacking midfield alongside McKennie and Nico Gonzalez – and Vlahovic. There are also many absences in the Empoli formation, fielded by D'Aversa with the 3-5-2 and with many youngsters : between the posts of the Empoli goal there is Vasquez, protected by the trio of central defenders formed by Marianucci, Ismajli and Tosto. The wings are instead the responsibility of Sambia and Cacace, with Henderson, Bacci and Maleh presiding over the midfield. Finally, up front, the attacking duo formed by Konaté and Colombo.

First half

The Bianconeri started off on a rampage and after just 2 minutes they created the first chance to score thanks to a header from Kolo Muani who, on a long throw from Kelly, headed it free to Nico Gonzalez, who however, one-on-one with Vasquez who was coming out, failed to hit the target of the Empoli goal. A first, big regret for Thiago Motta's team who immediately tried to reorganise their ideas and relied on Kolo Muani to give energy to the attacking front: the Frenchman acted as an offensive director and tried to enliven the play of a Juve team that however did not find the right supports in Nico Gonzalez or Vlahovic to break down the Tuscan defence. The Bianconeri, in fact, pushed forward trying to bring many men forward but in the finalisation phase they lacked concreteness and clarity.

Empoli, for their part, defended with order and in the 24th minute broke the initial black and white monologue by pulling the lead goal out of the hat: it all started with a ball recovered thanks to the excellent pressure on the Juventus ball carriers; the ball thus reached Maleh who from the edge of the area fired a powerful right-footed cross shot that went in at half height. A watershed because, after the goal, the inertia of the match changed hands: Juventus went haywire in the face of an Empoli who, on the contrary, took courage and gained meters thanks to an airy and courageous maneuver, closing the first half of the match on a crescendo and coming close to doubling the lead twice with Konaté: in the 41st minute the Tuscan striker received the ball from Maleh at the end of a counterattack but kicked too weakly towards Perin. Even more tempting was the opportunity that fell to his feet in injury time, when he collected a millimetric pass from a teammate and hit the post with a diagonal left-footed shot, saving a Juventus team that returned to the locker rooms trailing in the score and booed by the Allianz Stadium.

Second half

After the break, D'Aversa takes off Ismajli, replacing him with Goglichidze and Empoli starts again with great determination. Vlahovic tries to sound the charge and give a jolt to a too submissive Juventus with a shot from a free kick, which Vasquez intercepts a few centimeters from the crossbar. A minute later, Motta also makes his first moves, going all-in by switching to an ultra-offensive formation with the additions of Yldiz - who positions himself under the striker - and Locatelli. The Turkish playmaker immediately stands out with a shot that ends up high over the crossbar. Empoli responds immediately, creating another two-on-one on the counterattack that leads Sambia to a powerful but poorly angled shot. To try to keep his team's freshness high, then, d'Aversa makes his first moves: Esposito Kouamé and Pezzella come in for Konaté, Colombo and Tosto. In the 65th minute, however, the Bianconeri flash arrived that led to the equaliser: with a circus act, Thuram skipped past Henderson with a shot at the near post, fooling a Vasquez who in this case was not impeccable.

The 1-1 revitalizes the Bianconeri who loosen the reins and tension, starting to attack again with great impetus: Kolo Muani is a thorn in Goglichidze's side on the left and Vlahovic tries his luck with a header in the 77th minute on a cross from Yldiz. The Empoli response is a conclusion from Esposito that Perin manages to intercept only in two stages. Instead, the diagonal from an excellent position by Kouamé goes out of measure, giving life to a finale to be experienced in one breath in which Vlahovic also tries to play a leading role first with a right-footed shot out of range by a few centimeters and then with an initiative thwarted in extremis by Vasquez's exit. The final siege by the Bianconeri, who also try with a last-gasp counter-attack shot from Yldiz, however, does not bear fruit and so the final whistle by Fourneau sends the match to penalties. And it is precisely in the lottery of penalty kicks that the Tuscans' feat finally materializes: Vlahovic starts by kicking the first penalty high and Empoli responds with a clean run thanks to goals from Henerson, Kouamé and Cacace. Juve relies on the precision of Kolo Muani and Locatelli to stay upright but then Yldiz is hypnotized by Vasquez and Marianucci sends the Tuscans into a historic semi-final, displacing Perin. The scoresheet: Juventus (4-2-3-1): Perin; Weah, Gatti, Kelly (from 55' Locatelli), Cambiaso (from 85' Alberto Costa); Koopmeiners (from 55' Yldiz), Thuram; Kolo Muani, McKennie, Nico Gonzalez (from 60' Conceiçao); Vlahovic. Empoli (3-5-2): Vasquez; Marianucci, Ismajli (from 45' Goglichidze), Tosto (from 60' Pezzella); Sambia, Henderson, Bacci (from 73' Gyasi), Maleh, Cacace; Colombo (from 60' Kouamé), Konate (from 60' Esposito). Goalscorers: Maleh (Emp. 24'), Thuram (Juv. 60') Notes – Yellow cards: Henderson, Goglichidze, Esposito, Locatelli.

MATTEO AIROLDI