Juventus' unbeaten record has fallen at the last hurdle. Walter Mazzarri's Napoli have won 2012 the Coppa Italia final, spoiling Juve's attempt at a double and a tenth-ever triumph in the tournament with an emphatic 2-0 win. We were expecting both teams to go for the win here, but it ended up being fairly easy for the Partenopei, who defended firmly whenever Juventus pushed up the pitch and then broke at pace, terrifying their opposition's back line whenever the ball was at the feet of one of their attacking three.
Juventus Vs. Napoli, 2012 Coppa Italia Final: Napoli Cruise To 2-0 Win
The first half was largely marked by blown chances, with Napoli getting most of them but Juventus looking at least reasonably potent whenever they probed at the likes of Salvatore Aronica. Morgan de Sanctis was called into action on several occasions, but Napoli looked more like scoring and might have if not for a close offside call on Edinson Cavani and a mistake by Ezequiel Lavezzi as the Argentine surged forwards.
Lavezzi made up for his mistake after the break, where he raced onto a loose ball in the penalty area, beating Marco Storari to the ball and then being brought down by the goalkeeper, leaving Cavani to stroke home for a 1-0 lead. Juve surged forwards, attempting to find an equaliser, but de Sanctis was equal to everything the title holders could throw at him.
And, as is their style, Napoli used the pressure to create a chance of their own. A quick counterattack saw Marek Hamsik played into the box, and with Cavani calling for a cross the midfielder instead slotted calmly into the bottom corner. There was no doubt about the victory at that point, and Juventus made their loss even more embarrassing when Fabio Quagliarella was sent off for an elbow to Aronica's face.
On the side, Mazzarri and the staff were celebrating before the full time whistle blew. Napoli have won their first trophy in more than two decades, knocking off a team nobody else has beaten this year in the process. If their team does get broken up during the summer, as is expected, it’s a fitting conclusion to an amazing journey. Juventus, meanwhile, suffer their first setback of the season - but with a Scudetto to their name they won’t mind too much.
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