Juventus v SPAL Live Commentary & Result, 1/27/21, Coppa Italia

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Pirlo's side have now won seven of their last eight games and return to Serie A action on Saturday with a trip to Sampdoria, while SPAL are at home to Monza the following day in Serie B.

Juventus set up a Coppa Italia semi-final showdown with Inter thanks to a 4-0 win over SPAL. Morata put Juve in front from the penalty spot and Frabotta fired in a second before half-time. The visitors had a brief moment on top in the second period but further goals from Kulusevski and Chiesa followed, sealing a straightforward passage through for Pirlo's men.

90' + 5' FULL-TIME: JUVENTUS 4-0 SPAL

C. Da Graca

Assist

90' + 4' Da Graca has made an impact since coming off the bench. He was unable to beat Berisha moments beforehand but he had the final touch before Chiesa took over for this fourth goal and is credited with the assist.

F. Chiesa

Goal

90' + 4' GOOOOAAAALLL!! JUVENTUS 4-0 SPAL!! Da Graca is denied by Berisha from a half-volley. Juve add a fourth goal to their tally from the next attack, though, as Chiesa rounds Berisha and walks the ball into the back of the net.

90' + 3' Dejan Kulusevski is one of three midfielders in Europe's top five leagues born after 1/1/2000 to have scored 15+ goals in all competitions over the last two campaigns, along with Jadon Sancho and Phil Foden.

90' + 1' We are into the first of four added minutes at the Allianz Stadium.

90' Kulusevski is eager to double his personal tally for the day. He has other options but decides to go it alone and drags wide from 25 yards.

89' Juve are continuing to knock the ball around. SPAL had a five-minute period on top at 2-0 but the home side's third goal has completely taken the sting out of the game.

W. McKennie

N. Fagioli

87' Fagioli hobbles to the sidelines and is replaced by United States international McKennie.

F. Viviani

S. Missiroli

86' SPAL make another change as Viviani comes on for Missiroli. The visitors' cup run is very nearly at an end.

A. Rabiot

Yellow Card

85' Rabiot barges into Seck and is cautioned by the referee. The yellow he was issued in the first half was rescinded, remember, following a VAR check.

84' CLOSE! Chiesa has looked lively since coming on. Having assisted the goal for Kulusevski, he nearly adds a fourth for Juve with a curler that is inches wide.

C. Da Graca

M. Demiral

83' Pirlo is taking no risks. Demiral has looked a little heated and is replaced by Da Graca late on.

F. Chiesa

Yellow Card

81' Demiral and then Chiesa fly in and the latter is cautioned by the referee Ivano Pezzuto as he was a little late.

M. Valoti

Yellow Card

80' Valoti is cautioned for a foul on Fagioli with 10 minutes to go in Turin.

F. Chiesa

Assist

78' Chiesa played the ball inside Tomovic and Kulusevski sent his shot past the trailing legs of Berisha.

D. Kulusevski

Goal

78' GOOOAAALLL!!! JUVENTUS 3-0 SPAL!! Kulusevski makes certain of Juve's place in the semi-finals with a composed finish past Berisha when played in by Chiesa. The visitors have been pressing for a goal and were left a little exposed at the back, not helped by Tomovic's poor attempted clearance.

77' Rabiot blasts wide from a long way out. Juve have not created a chance of note in the second period - not that it will matter, given SPAL have 12 minutes to find two goals.

76' Buffon is not happy with his team-mates. The Italian champions may have a two-goal lead but they have completely switched off over the last 10 minutes and are inviting pressure onto themselves.

75' Fagioli passes the ball straight to Tomovic just outside his own box and the SPAL substitute has what should be a pretty simple pass to Seck. He fails to find his team-mate, though, and Juventus survive a big scare.

73' BETTER FROM SPAL! The visitors are finally starting to ask some questions of Juve. Dickmann does brilliantly to get out of trouble by the corner flag and the ball is worked to Valoti, who sends a shot down the throat of Buffon from 25 yards.

71' Dickmann's right-sided cross is helped on by Brignola and Seck scuffs a volley wide of the target. However, Brignola was offside and the flag would have denied Seck even if he had found the net.

69' Those substitutions have disrupted the flow of the match somewhat. Juve are in complete control and will hope that two goals are enough to see them through.

Alex Sandro

G. Frabotta

67' Alex Sandro, looking to build up his fitness after recovering from coronavirus, is on for Frabotta for the final 25 minutes or so.

F. Chiesa

Morata

67' Morata is unable to shake off a foot problem and has been replaced by Chiesa.

M. Valoti

Salvatore Esposito

66' Valoti takes over from Esposito as Pasquale Marino makes another double change.

L. Moro

S. Floccari

66' Floccari was lively in the first half but has been quiet since the restart and has now been replaced by Moro.

66' Morata was quite clearly caught because he has a fair bit of blood coming out of his sock, though it was likely accidental. With around 25 minutes to go here, Pirlo will know that his side are not quite over the line just yet.

64' A Juventus corner from the left is miscued by Sernicola but Demiral is not tall enough to get on the end of the loose ball. Morata went down near the front post but the referee and his assistants did not spot anything.

62' SPAL have nine outfield players spread out in and around their penalty area - no wonder the hosts are resorting to shots from range. They attempt to work the ball down the left and into the middle but it is well defended.

60' WEAK! Rabiot pulls the trigger from 25 yards and, like pretty much every Juve effort in this second half, it is a routine one for Berisha to deal with.

59' Ramsey is the latest player to be denied by Berisha, though the SPAL keeper is not really having to do a great deal to keep the ball out of the net. Juve could do with scoring a third to make certain of the win.

57' De Ligt has not had a great deal to do on his return to the side today but he is alert to a cross from the left. SPAL win a corner and Dickmann thumps a ferocious volley into a sea of bodies.

55' NEARLY! Kulusevski wriggles clear of a couple of players but his low shot does not have enough precision to beta Berisha. Juventus are bombarding their opponents' goal now and look good value for a third goal.

53' The lively Frabotta does brilliantly to knock the ball past his man and break clear in the box, but his attempted cutback is blocked.

51' Frabotta drives the ball across the face of the SPAL goal but Ramsey is unable to get on the end of it.

L. Sernicola

Yellow Card

50' SPAL wing-back Sernicola is booked for handling the ball.

49' A Juve corner is helped on towards the back post, where Morata is unable to turn it past Berisha. Demiral tries to keep the attack alive but catches the SPAL keeper and a free-kick is awarded.

48' SAVE! The angle is massively against Kulusevski but he decides to have a go at goal. Berisha gets down to make the stop.

46' RESTART! Juventus get us back under way at the Allianz Stadium. Barring a pretty remarkable collapse in this second half, they will go on to face Inter in the Coppa Italia semi-finals.

N. Tomović

F. Vicari

46' Vicari, who gave away the penalty that Morata converted, is off and Tomovic on in his place.

M. Sala

L. Ranieri

46' SPAL have made a couple of changes at the break. Ranieri, who perhaps could have done more to prevent Juve's second goal, is replaced by Sala.

A. Di Pardo

F. Bernardeschi

46' Bernardeschi picked up an injury towards the end of the first half and has been taken off at half-time. Di Pardo is brought on for his senior debut.

Pirlo will be pretty pleased with what he has seen so far, with Juventus hitting the target four times and finding the net twice. SPAL have had a couple of promising moments, but the closest they have come to a goal so far is through a wayward Floccari drive.

Juventus take a 2-0 lead into half-time of this Coppa Italia quarter-final with SPAL. Morata gave the home side a 16th-minute lead from the penalty spot after Vicari tripped Rabiot in the box - a decision made by VAR after the midfielder was initially booked for simulation. Frabotta thumped in a second 17 minutes later to put Juve in control.

45' + 3' HALF-TIME: JUVENTUS 2-0 SPAL

45' + 1' Three minutes have been added on at the end of the first half at the Allianz Stadium. Bernardeschi looks as though he will be able to continue until the break.

45' Bernardeschi, who picked up a knock a few minutes ago, has seemingly signalled to come off. Pirlo may have to make a change before the interval.

43' Seck claims that he was caught in the face by Demiral's elbow. Even if that was the case, there was no intention there from the Juve defender.

42' Demiral does well to get between the ball and Seck. The SPAL attacker, perhaps knowing he will not get to the ball, throws himself to the ground.

41' Bernardeschi is in a bit of pain after being caught but will be fine to continue. Juve are looking pretty comfortable as we edge ever closer to half-time.

39' Another promising Juventus attack breaks down high up the pitch through Ramsey. A third goal for the home side would surely make certain of a place in the final four, where Inter await.

37' At 21 years and 217 days, Gianluca Frabotta is the youngest Italian player to find the net for Juventus in all competitions since Moise Kean in April 2019.

35' WIDE! SPAL are not down and out just yet. Floccari profits from some poor play from Demiral by carrying the ball forward and shooting wide from 20 yards. Buffon looked to have it covered down to his right, anyway.

D. Kulusevski

Assist

33' That was brilliant play from Kulusevski. He may have been tempted to take the shot on himself after cutting back inside Ranieri, but he instead laid it off for one of his team-mates to bury.

G. Frabotta

Goal

33' GOOOOAAALLL!!! JUVENTUS 2-0 SPAL!! The Serie A giants move a step closer to the semi-finals thanks to Frabotta's drive. Kulusevski does brilliantly by turning Ranieri inside out and then pulling the ball back into a dangerous zone. Fagioli leaves it and Frabotta picks his spot past Berisha.

32' SIDE-NETTING! Frabotta heads the ball back into the middle and Morata makes a complete mess of his attempted shot. The ball drops to Ramsey at the back post and he sends a half-volley into the side-netting.

31' De Ligt gets his head to the corner first but SPAL clear their lines. Juve are pushing for a second goal here with a little over half an hour played.

30' Morata's strike at the front post is blocked by Vicari. That all came about as a result of an error from Okoli.

28' The visitors turn over possession and all of a sudden it is three-on-three. Brignola carries the ball forward and picks out Seck, who leaves the ball behind when trying to take on his man just inside the box. Poor!

26' Alvaro Morata's goal was his first from the penalty spot for Juventus since February 2016 against Inter.

24' SAVE! A flowing Juve attack comes to a disappointing end as a pass intended for Kulusevski rolls through for Berisha. However, from the next move, the same player is able to turn his man and get a shot away that the SPAL stopper keeps out at the second attempt.

22' Juventus striker Morata has had 20 touches of the ball so far and found the target twice from his two attempts, one of those beating Berisha from the penalty spot.

20' SPAL have responded well to the setback. The visitors are enjoying a prolonged spell on the ball, but they need to start thinking about testing Buffon if they are to find an equaliser.

18' Seck powers his way past a couple of opposition players but his shot from a long way out is very weak. It trickles through for Buffon to gather.

Morata

Penalty Goal

16' GOOOAAALLL!!! JUVENTUS 1-0 SPAL!! Morata sends Berisha the wrong way and Juve have the lead. In real time it looked as though Rabiot attempted to con the officials for that penalty decision, but Vicari definitely made contact.

15' PENALTY TO JUVENTUS! Rabiot did not dive after all! A look at the Vicari challenge from another angle shows that he did indeed make contact with the Juve midfielder, so the yellow card is rescinded and a penalty is awarded.

14' VAR CHECK! Rabiot is shown a yellow card for simulation after throwing himself to the ground under minimal contact from Vicari. However, the referee has been asked to check the incident back on the pitchside monitor for a possible penalty...

13' Thirteen minutes played at the Allianz Stadium and Juventus have had 61 per cent of the ball so far - no real surprises there. The hosts have managed just one serious attempt, though, with Morata denied by Berisha from range.

11' Floccari is proving a handful in the SPAL attack. He drives forward and gets a shot away that rises high over Buffon's goal.

10' SAVE! Morata's shot-to-nothing is pushed aside by Berisha. That could be the first of many saves the visiting goalkeeper has to make today.

8' SPAL work the ball across to the right and it is nicely played through for Floccari. Before the striker can think about getting a shot away, though, Demiral gets across and intercepts.

7' SHOT! Ramsey thinks about taking on the volley but decides not to and instead slips in Morata. The cross is initially cut out but it eventually falls to Frabotta to flash a shot across the face of goal.

5' Morata peels off to the left but a searching ball over the top for the ex-Chelsea striker is not brought under control. SPAL are trying their best to keep things tight early on.

3' Juve have taken control of possession right from the off. They are not really getting it into advanced positions thus far, with their back four and midfielders taking it in turns to knock it around.

1' KICK-OFF! SPAL get us up and running in Turin! The second-tier side are looking to pull off a shock victory here against Andrea Pirlo's heavyweights.

Both sets of players are now out on the pitch at the Allianz Stadium and kick-off is just a few moments away.

Following the 3-2 last-16 win against Genoa, Juventus are now unbeaten in 12 home games in the Coppa Italia (11 wins and one draw) - their longest streak in the competition since 1996 (16 games), under with Marcello Lippi.

SPAL were held to a 1-1 draw by Cremonese in their most recent outing on Sunday and show five changes from that match. Okoli, Dickmann, Seck, Sernicola and Brignola are all recalled. Paloschi was on the scoresheet three days ago but is among those to drop down to the bench, along with Tomovic, Strefezza, Sala and Valoti.

Juventus show nine changes from their weekend win over Bologna, with Cristiano Ronaldo left out of the matchday squad entirely. Bernardeschi and Kulusevski are the only two players to keep their place in the starting line-up, though this is still a strong Juve XI that includes the likes of De Ligt, Ramsey, Morata and veteran stopper Buffon in goal.

Subs: Luca Moro, Nenad Tomovic, Gabriel Strefezza, Mattia Valoti, Demba Thiam, Stefano Minelli, Marco Sala, Alberto Paloschi, Riccardo Spaltro, Federico Viviani.

SPAL XI (3-5-2): Etrit Berisha; Caleb Okoli, Francesco Vicari, Luca Ranieri; Lorenzo Dickmann, Simone Missiroli, Salvatore Esposito, Demba Seck, Leonardo Sernicola; Enrico Brignola, Sergio Floccari.

Subs: Cosimo Marco Da Graca, Wojciech Szczesny, Alex Sandro, Giorgio Chiellini, Weston McKennie, Danilo, Arthur, Juan Cuadrado, Federico Chiesa, Leonardo Bonucci, Alessandro Di Pardo, Carlo Pinsoglio.

JUVENTUS XI (4-4-2): Gianluigi Buffon (c); Radu Dragusin, Merih Demiral, Matthijs de Ligt, Gianluca Frabotta; Federico Bernardeschi, Nicolo Fagioli, Adrien Rabiot, Aaron Ramsey; Alvaro Morata, Dejan Kulusevski.

SPAL were relegated from the top flight of Italian football last season but are on course for a swift return as they sit fifth in Serie B, just five points off top spot. The visitors have already progressed through four rounds to make it this far, most recently seeing off top-tier Sassuolo 2-0 a fortnight ago.

Juventus have won this competition a record 13 times, though not since 2018, while SPAL's best finish came in 1962 when losing to Napoli in the final. The hosts required extra time to overcome Genoa in the last round and have won six of their last seven games in all competitions.

Hello and welcome to our live text coverage of the Coppa Italia quarter-final clash between Serie A giants Juventus and second-tier side SPAL at the Allianz Stadium. The winners of this tie will go on to face Inter, who beat Milan 2-1 in a dramatic match on Tuesday, for a place in the final.

Juventus v SPAL Live Commentary, 1/27/21

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