Juventus began their Coppa Italia campaign on a winning note, with four goalscorers playing their part in sinking Sampdoria on Tuesday.
Juventus breezed past Sampdoria rather comfortably to begin the defence of their Coppa Italia crown at the Allianz Stadium. There were four different goalscorers on the night as Massimiliano Allegri’s men set the standard at home to get started on a winning note.
Juan Cuadrado, Daniele Rugani, Paulo Dybala, and Alvaro Morata got on the scoresheet for Juventus, while Andrea Conti scored one goal for the visitors in the second half. The full-back’s strike momentarily gave the visitors some hope, but the match was wrapped up by the Bianconeri’s strike pair later.
Juan Cuadrado opened the scoring in the 25th minute with a brilliant free-kick, passing through Sampdoria’s wall and past a hapless Wladimiro Falcone. After being the most notable attacker in a Juventus shirt, the Colombian was reaping the rewards for a brilliant start to his game. He also set up Alvaro Morata, although the goal was disallowed.
Daniele Rugani then rose the highest to meet Arthur Melo’s pinpoint cross to score Juventus’s second on the night. It was also the defender’s first-ever Coppa Italia strike, putting his team in control of the tie. Conti then bagged his goal 10 minutes later before Juventus strike pair Morata and Dybala ensured a positive result was out of Sampdoria’s reach.
The momentary panic caused by Conti’s goal was calmed down by Dybala, who rolled the ball past Falcone into the bottom right corner. Substitute Marley Ake then won the penalty, which Morata converted to wrap up things for Juventus, who progressed into the Coppa Italia quarter-final. Here’s how the Juventus stars fared in their sweeping win over Sampdoria at the Allianz Arena
Mattia Perin: 5/10
Perin had the quietest of nights, and his only visible task on the evening was to pick out the ball from his own net after Andrea Conti’s second half strike. He might have been comfortable otherwise, as the Juventus defence kept things under control.
Mattia De Sciglio: 5.5/10
De Sciglio did his job fairly well by playing the role of a right-back as Allegri wanted. He ran down the right flank well and carried some threat from his side to keep the pressure on the Sampdoria defence.
Danilo: 5/10
The whole idea for Danilo to play was to get some minutes after returning from his injury, and he did a fairly defence job as the right centre-back.
Daniele Rugani: 7/10
Rugani celebrates his goal.??? pic.twitter.com/4haaawKg1B
— Azzurri Ti Amo (@azzurriisme) January 18, 2022
In the absence of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, Rugani assumed the leadership role at the back and put in a good shift. He kept things tight by marshalling the backline well. As a reward for his performances, he scored his first-ever Coppa Italia goal, putting his team in a commanding position.
Alex Sandro: 4.5/10
Not quite the performance expected of the experienced Brazilian full-back. He was mostly tasked with keeping his position high up the pitch, although his contributions were barely of any importance.
Juan Cuadrado: 8/10
The Colombian continued to wield his importance in the side with a solid performance against Sampdoria. Starting from the right wing, Cuadrado was the best player in the first half and got his reward with a goal from a fantastic free-kick.
GOLAZO FROM EL PANITA ?
Juan Guillermo Cuadrado scores his first goal of 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣2️⃣ with this free kick!
pic.twitter.com/qan9qNvtMQ— Parceros United (@ParcerosUnited) January 18, 2022
Arthur Melo: 7.5/10
This was one of Arthur’s best displays in a Juventus shirt as he kept things under his control from midfield. He struck up a good partnership with Manuel Locatelli in the middle and registered an assist for Rugani’s strike.
Manuel Locatelli: 8/10
Locatelli pulled the strings from midfield, controlling the game’s tempo all evening. He carried a threat around the Sampdoria box and was instrumental in the build-up to third goal, scored by Dybala.
Adrien Rabiot: 4.5/10
People watching this game will tell how involved Rabiot was with everything. However, he barely made any contribution in progressing play or bringing anything of quality for his teammates — a sub-par performance from the Frenchman.
Dejan Kulusevski: 4/10
Kulusevski looks devoid of confidence at the moment, and his lack of involvement in the final third was proof of that. He was tasked with playing just behind the striker, and he looked nervous when around or inside the box.
Alvaro Morata: 7.5/10
That's 6️⃣ out of 6️⃣ penalties scored in ⚪️⚫️ for @AlvaroMorata ??#JuveSamp #CoppaItaliaFrecciarossa #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/OSzU3kpy8U
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) January 18, 2022
The Spaniard worked hard all game on the field, as he was always an outlet to keep the ball and bring others into play. Morata scored the penalty late in the game, which effectively sealed the tie.
SUBSTITUTES
Giorgio Chiellini: 5/10
Chiellini’s outing is worthy of a rating, but he was needed to keep things quiet at the back late in the game.
Paulo Dybala: 7/10
Lately, Dybala has been in the news for his contractual situation with Juventus. He probably answered the critics with a well-taken goal that calmed the nerves after Sampdoria had pulled a goal back.
Rodrigo Bentancur: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Marley Ake: 6/10
He might not have played enough to get a rating himself, but the fact that he won the penalty late in the game changes that.
Kaio Jorge: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
