- Juventus were eliminated from the Coppa Italia after losing on penalties to Empoli in the quarter-finals.
- Dusan Vlahovic and Kenan Yıldız missed in the shootout, while Empoli converted all four of their penalties.
- Empoli reached the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in the club’s history.
Key Takeaways:
Juventus crashed out of Coppa Italia after losing on penalties at home to Empoli in the quarter-finals. The match ended 1-1 in regular time, with neither team able to secure the win. The visitors took the lead in the 24th minute through Youssef Maleh, who received the ball outside the penalty area, created space, and fired a powerful shot into the net for 0-1. In the 66th minute, Randal Kolo Muani set up Khephren Thuram inside the Empoli box. With a quick feint, Thuram evaded his marker and scored from a tight angle to make it 1-1. The score remained unchanged, leading to penalties.
🚨🇮🇹 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 | Juventus have been knocked out of the Coppa Italia! ❌🏆
Lost on penalties to Empoli at home. 😳👋 pic.twitter.com/HxM039cEi7
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) February 26, 2025
In the shootout, Dusan Vlahovic and Kenan Yildiz missed for Juventus, while all of Empoli’s takers converted their penalties. The visitors secured a 4-2 victory, booking their place in the semi-finals.
The defeat ended Juventus’ hopes of winning a trophy this season. The elimination came against one of Serie A’s underdogs, whom they had beaten 4-1 just a month ago. This time, however, Juve struggled and were outplayed for large parts of the match. Empoli created several chances in front of Mattia Perin’s goal and could have won in regular time. For Empoli, this marks a historic achievement, as the club reaches the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time.
Juventus manager Thiago Motta was furious after his team’s elimination. Motta described his team’s performance, particularly in the first half, as shameful and stated that they did not deserve to progress.
On the other hand, Empoli coach Roberto D’Aversa expressed his delight at his team’s first-ever qualification for the Coppa Italia semi-finals. He admitted that he did not expect the Azzurri to eliminate Juventus, especially at their home ground.