And that’s all from me. A hugely impressive performance from Juve.
Without three of their best - Pirlo, Pogba and Tevez - Massimiliano Allegri’s team pulled off a hugely impressive comeback to win 4-2 on aggregate and stay on course for a domestic double, and a first Coppa Italia in 20 years.
Fiorentina will be bitterly disappointed with their timid performance in the first half. You can’t help but feel that Vincenzo Montella - as handsome as he surely is - may have got his tactics slightly wrong, hoping to cling on to that lead from the first leg when it may have been better had they played their natural game.
Too late now though, and La Viola must push on for a top-three place to earn Champions League football for next season.
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Full time! Fiorentina 0-3 Juventus (2-4 on aggregate)
Four minutes of injury time are played out and Fiorentina cannot find a way to get on the scoresheet.
Juventus are through to the Coppa Italia final where they will play Napoli or Lazio.
But what a peculiar end to the game, a bizarre red card from a referee who otherwise handled a tetchy game with aplomb. Juve will surely appeal so that Morata can play the final, but there’ll be no respite for Claudio Marchisio, whose earlier yellow card will see him sit out the showpiece. A big blow for a side already missing key components of their midfield.
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90+2 min: Fernandez tries to get on the scoresheet with a nice shot from 25 yards out, but Storari is equal to it, and saves well. Time nearly up for Fiorentina.
Red card! Morata
88 min: Crazy decision by the referee.
Diamanti wandering aimlessly through the left-hand side. Morata comes in from behind, he doesn’t go to ground, he doesn’t stamp, no studs showing. He just wafts a leg at Diamanti’s calf. The Fiorentina man tumbles down, the ref comes running. And... Everyone’s expecting a yellow card, but out comes the red.
Coman, just on for Juve, is immediately subbed off with Fernando Llorente on in his place.
Diamante’s free-kick is headed on by Llorente and out for a corner. Taken short, it comes to nothing.
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86 min: Diamanti isn’t giving in, rushing at the Juve defence, and taken down on the right hand edge of the box by Patrice Evra to win a free-kick 25 yards out.
He takes it but it’s saved easily by Storari.
84 min: Not that I don’t want your company, but it’s 3-3 over at Villa Park - Christian Benteke has just got his hat-trick to pull the home side level.
Nothing happening here. Juve enjoying a spell of possession before Marchisio is clumped by Diamanti in the centre of the pitch.
82 min: The game is petering out now, Juve happy to concede a series of soft fouls while Fiorentina are looking bereft of ideas.
79 min: Arturo Vidal is shown yellow for steaming in on Diamanti by the left-hand corner flag. Fernandez takes the free-kick, but it’s out for a goal-kick off Alonso.
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78 min: Juve allowing the home side some possession now, but sniffing it out when it gets near their box. When Fiorentina do manage to swing a cross in there’s nobody there to get on the end of the ball as it bobbles across the goal.
Giuseppe Rossi, sat on the bench on his return from cruciate ligament damage, must wish he was on to finish off chances like that.
Substitution: Matri makes way for Kingsley Coman in the 75th minute.
72 min: It’s like Juve don’t want a fourth ... Pereyra races past the Fiorentina defence on the right and plays the ball back to Morata, but he dillies and dallies before giving it back to Pereyra on the wing. He’s kicked in to the air and it’s a free-kick.
Mario Gomez is substituted for Babacar before it’s taken.
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70 min: Nearly four for Juventus. Pereyra involved again, feeding Matri in the box and he takes aim at Neto’s near post. the Fiorentina goalkeeper is equal to it. The corner comes to nothing.
67 min: Diamanti has an instant impact, rushing down the left wing, skipping a couple of Juve crosses and firing a low cross into the box to win a corner. Which comes to nothing ...
Juve break through Morata, but his cross-field ball is ponderous and Fiorentina are back and covering.
Substitution: Joaquín comes off for Diamanti in the 66th minute.
65 min: A shot from Aqulani whistles past the right hand post, as he wings his right foot onto a headed Evra clearance. Storari doesn’t even move, a few inches further in and it would have nestled into the corner of the net.
63 min: Fiorentina are ragged now, chasing black and white shadows. Juve win a free-kick 30 yards out on the left as Savic stands his ground as Evra races into him.
Marchisio takes and it’s lofted into Neto’s arms.
Rumble!
61 min: 12 players come together on the half-way line, with the referee stepping in to separate the warring factions. Gonzalo and Marchisio are both booked in the aftermath, with Marchisio missing the final as a result.
Totally pointless by the Juve man, who gets involved after a pretty tame shoulder charge from Gonzalo on Morata while the Spanish striker jumped for the ball on the half-way line.
59 min: Juventus are taking fewer risks now, happy to play the ball between themselves, from side to side waiting for the gaps to open up. And open up they do. After a good period of possession Pereyra is slipped through, he tries to beat Neto at his near post, but the keeper is wise to it and saves well.
But it doesn’t last long, from the corner, Bonucci is all alone and volleys in from eight yards. 3-0. Tie over. Juve will be in the Coppa Italia final.
Goal! Fiorentina 0-3 Juventus (Bonucci, 59)
From a corner!
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55 min: So close to an own goal. After some nice interplay on the edge of the box Vidal manages to slip Sturaro in behind the Fiorentina defence on the right-hand side. He crosses low and hard, Savic’s clearance whistles just past the post. From the corner, Fiorentina clear.
53 min: The Fiorentina crowd scream for a free-kick as Vidal knocks Alonso over on the edge of the Juve box, the referee ignores the cries and Juve break. Marchisio carries the ball forward, making a fool of Valero in the process and passes it out to Morata on the left. He cuts in and curls his shot over the right-hand post.
52 min: Fiorentina pushing many more bodies forward now and nearly get their reward as Fernandez jinks into the box, flicks the ball back to Gomez 10 yards out. Rather than try with his left, he fires the ball with his right foot into the side netting.
50 min: Lovely work from Morata. He nicks the ball from Savic down by the edge of the Juve box, runs deep into the Fiorentina half, nutmegs Borja Valero on the edge of the box and crosses it from the left towards Vidal. The Chilean can’t quite get on the end of it however, and it’s out for a Fiorentina goal-kick.
48 min: A bit more snap in the tackle from the home side now, as Juve build down the right through Padoin. A bit too much snap from Alonso as he drags down the defender, a late replacement in the team for Lichtsteiner, and it’s Juve free-kick.
Marchisio floats it in aimlessly and Fiorentina break, before Joaquín is brought down by the half-way line. Fiorentina take the kick quickly and feed Salah on the edge of the box. He takes a wild shot. High and not too handsome.
The second half begins!
46 min: Fiorentina kick off knowing they need to do better to stay in the Coppa Italia.
One more Juventus goal would surely seal it - playing like this it’s hard to see Fiorentina getting three goals in the next 45 minutes.
It would also have the added bonus of meaning extra time is not a possibility, which I am in no way rooting for ...
Half-time! Fiorentina 0-2 Juventus (2-3 on aggregate)
And Vincenzo Montella trudges into the dressing room looking glum as Juve have the two away goals they needed to turn the tie on its head. Fiorentina have looked unsure how to play ever since Matri scored Juve’s first - stick or twist. In the end they did neither, unable to get the ball to Salah (who still looks their most dangerous player), and allowing wave after wave of Juve attacks.
Juventus despite missing Pogba and Tevez have taken control of the match and look on course for the final.
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44 min: Fiorentina waste an opportunity to break and Juve are straight back up the other end attacking. Morata wriggles into some space, shoots low and hard. Neto makes a decent save but he can only parry it back into the box, where Pereyra is on his toes to nip in ahead of Basanta and fire the ball home.
Goal! Fiorentina 0-2 Juventus (Pereyra, 44)
Neto parries and Pereyra on hand to score.
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40 min: So close for Juve. Álvaro Morata comes so, so close. He curls a lovely shot from the edge of the box and it looks like Nene has produced a lovely save to tip it wide. But no corner.
Juve are furious, Chiellini screaming and gesticulating into the referees face. The captain is rightly booked for his complaining.
Disallowed goal!
38 min: Moments later, Alonso is taken down by Vidal 35 yards out on the left. Fernandez takes the free-kick, punting it into the box and on to the forehead of Gonzalo who heads it home. He’s celebrating. And then he’s complaining. The linesman has his flag up.
Gonzalo was inches offside as the ball was played in, correct decision.
37 min: Gomez goes down in the box staring at the referee after Mo Salah passes the ball into his feet, with the German striker under severe pressure from the Juve defence. The ref is having none of it though, quite rightly.
Public service announcement.
It’s 2-1 to Villa over here, not that you’re interested I’m sure.
33 min: A very nice spell of one touch passing between Salah, Aquilani and Joaquín breaks down when it’s fed into Gomez. Fiorentina harry and get the ball back, Valero puts the cross in from the right, and it’s a better ball this time, but in his eagerness to get on the end of it Gomez fouls the Juve defender. Free-kick.
Yellow card! Salah tries to skip past Sturaro but the Juve man is having none of it, swinging an arm across the winger’s chest, and the referee produces the card at the bidding of the Fiorentina player.
30 min: Fernandez fails to beat the first man and the ball falls at Salah’s feet, his shot is blocked and Juve clear.
28 min: Morata nearly breaks through but he can’t get his shot away and it’s beaten away by the home defence. The ball is worked back out to Morata on the left wing, he swings the ball in and it’s cleared. Fiorentina break up the other end through Salah, and Joaquín wins a corner.
27 min: The game is opening up a bit now, with the home side on edge. Both sides attacking down the wings, but so far failing to deliver a decent ball. Fiorentina’s crossing in particular has been very wasteful, not what the Gomez needs if he’s to make a difference in this game.
23 min: Fiorentina on the back foot now - and Sturaro almost sneaks in to get the second that Juventus desperately need, but his shot bobbles up and off the turf into Neto’s grateful hands.
21 min: Marchisio breaks with the ball down the right, swings in a cross which Matri plays first time to Morata, he shoots, but the ball bobbles off a Fiorentina defender and in to the path of the Italian striker to poke the ball past Neto.
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Goal! Fiorentina 0-1 Juventus (Matri, 21)
The striker stabs the ball home.
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19 min: The Juve full-backs Padoin and Evra are both pushing forward like wingers but to no avail. as Fiorentina hold firm. When Alonso has the chance to break down the left he can’t get through and Juve clear to go up the other end again, Chiellini trying in vain to feed the ball through to Morata from the half-way line.
16 min: A couple of Fiorentina corners have the Juve backline scrambling to clear their lines, when Matri does look like he might have a chance to break Savic takes him down to concede a free-kick in the Juve half.
12 min: Much whistling greets a period of sustained Juve pressure, but their attempts to find chinks through the wall of purple in front of them are in vain as the home side again come away with the ball.
Salah and Gomez are both dropping deep in to the midfield to help out in defence when the opposition have the ball. It could be a long night for Juve.
10 min: Some tricksy feet from that man Salah again starts Fiorentina on their way, he plays the ball out to Valero on the wing, who exchanges passes with Alonso, ending with the latter blasting a shot a few yards over the bar.
8 min: A long ball through the middle nearly has Salah through on goal, but the Egyptian can only head the ball sideways, too far in front Mario Gomez, and Storari gather gratefully.
Disallowed goal
5 min: Some neat interplay between Mario Gomez and Mo Salah sets the winger scampering at the heart of Juve’s defence, he wriggles past a couple of defenders and into the box, knocks Lichtsteiner to the floor and pokes the ball in to the back of the net!
But it’s ruled out, a foul on Lichtsteiner. Probably the right decision.
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3 min: Juventus dominating the early exchanges, but to little effect, barely making it into Fiorentina’s half before being repelled. The home side finally get on the ball but gift it tamely back to Juve. Marchisio drive forward, feeds Peryra on the left wing who whips in a dangerous cross which Vidal can’t quite get on the end of. Gonzalo clears.
And we’re off! With Juventus kicking off going from right to left. Fiorentina in the familiar all purple attire, Juve in their black and white stripes.
The players are out on the pitch. Each accompanied by a mini-fan in their opposition’s kit. Kick-off is imminent ...
Pete Mumola writes: “I can’t be the first to comment that Pogba will not be featuring in tonight’s rematch despite the Guardian’s photo/caption stating as much, can I?”
You are the first Pete - got to get the hits somehow, haven’t we? In all seriousness, a mistake, not deliberate subterfuge. It will be changed in but a moment as if it never existed, refresh your page for the change.
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Re 19:18: I’ve had the image on this article on kissing in Goa pointed out to me.
Not a swastika, but a Hindu symbol of peace apparently. Perhaps Fiorentina should have gone with that excuse back in 1992-93.
For those wondering about extra-time, away goals and the like, I’m reliably informed by Paolo Bandini that away goals do count, after 90 minutes, - so a 1-0 would not be enough for Juve.
On the bench.
For Fiorentina: Antonio Rosati, Micah Richards, Juan Manuel Vargas, Alberto Gilardino, Jasmin Kurtic, Alessandro Diamanti, Manuel Pasqual, Khouma Babacar, Andrea Lazzari, Giuseppe Rossi, Nenad Tomovic, Josip Ilicic.
For Juve: Gianluigi Buffon, Rubinho, Andrea Barzagli, Stephan Lichsteiner, Angelo Ogbonna, Luca Marrone, Paolo De Ceglie, Simone Pepe, Kinglsey Coman, Fernando Llorente.
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Teams!
Fiorentina (3-5-2): Neto; Stefan Savic; Gonzalo Rodríguez, José María Basanta; Joaquín, Mati Fernandez, Alberto Aquilani, Borja Valero, Marcos Alonso; Mario Gomez, Mo Salah.
Juventus (4-3-1-2): Marco Storari; Simone Padoin, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Patrice Evra; Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio, Stefano Sturaro; Roberto Pereyra; Alessandro Matri, Álvaro Morata.
No Micah Richards in the Fiorentina starting line-up.
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Full disclosure time. I must confess to having something of a soft spot for Fiorentina. I think maybe it was their kit when I was young. No not this swastika-emblazoned disaster. Rather the purple, Nintendo sponsored number sported by Gabriel Batistuta and Rui Costa.
Golazo and all that.
Is it weird to have a favourite team based on their once fetching attire?
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Buonasera. And welcome to the Artemio Franchi for the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final.
It may not have the glamour of Aston Villa v QPR, and I doubt there will be a padded gilet in sight, but since the powers that be have kept Ramsey v Sherwood from UK TV screens a trip to Florence is in order for me instead. (Head here to follow that game with Bryan Armen Graham).
Juventus may be well and truly recovered from the Calciopoli scandal, back to their usual place dominating Serie A, but the Old Lady has not lifted the Coppa Italia since 1995. 20 long years.
After their unexpected 2-1 defeat in the semi-final first leg – a first home defeat in two years – they have quite a task on their hands to get past Fiorentina, who themselves haven’t tasted glory in this competition since 2001.
Of course, whichever of these two gets through to the final will probably lose out to Napoli (who play Lazio in the other semi tomorrow). Rafa Benítez loves a cup, so he does.
While I wait for some team news with which to titillate you why not enjoy some of the best bits from Chelsea Fiorentina’s star man.
Mo Salah may have been deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, but his two goals settled the first leg in Turin, and he’s likely to provide the main threat for La Viola.
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Preamble
Kick-off at Artemio Franchi is at 7.45pm – Toby will be here from around 7pm.
In the meantime, here’s the report from the first leg, and also check out Paolo Bandini’s blog on Fiorentina v Sampdoria, taking in Mohamed Salah’s impact at Fiore on loan from Chelsea, as well as fireworks and mechanical doves:
At first, Fiorentina’s match against Sampdoria threatened to turn into a washout. Much was expected of an encounter between two sides chasing a Champions League berth, but a combination of heavy rain before kick-off – leading to an even heavier pitch – and negative tactics from the visitors resulted in the game getting bogged down in midfield.
Sampdoria’s lack of ambition was surprising. They arrived at this fixture fourth in the table, two points ahead of Fiorentina and seeking to extend a four-game winning run that included victories over both Roma and Inter. Their manager, Sinisa Mihajlovic, told reporters he had encouraged his players to shoot for the moon, since that way “even if you don’t make it, you will still land on the stars”.
But his team looked uninterested in the idea of shooting anywhere as they held together on the edge of their own area. It was a strategy perhaps designed with one particular opponent in mind. Mohamed Salah has thrived so far at Fiorentina during his loan from Chelsea by exploiting the gaps between defenders who underestimate his acceleration. By keeping 10 men behind the ball, Samp ensured that he had no spaces to attack.
