ROME (AP) — An early goal from Dusan Vlahovic was all Juventus needed to beat Atalanta 1-0 on Wednesday in the Italian Cup final to cap what had been a disappointing season with a trophy.
Vlahovic scored four minutes in by finishing off a counterattack then had another possible goal waved off for offside in the 72nd.
It’s Juve’s record-extending 15th Italian Cup title.
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Juventus has fallen to fourth place in Serie A and there has been speculation that Massimiliano Allegri won’t return as coach.
Allegri lost his cool in stoppage time when he grew angry at a decision, prompting him to rip off his jacket and be shown a red card for sarcastically applauding the referee.
Still, Allegri became the first coach to win the Italian Cup five times, breaking a tie with Sven-Goran Eriksson and Roberto Mancini.
The Bianconeri were banned from European competition this season due to a false accounting case.
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“We qualified for the Champions League next season and we've won the Italian Cup, so we've achieved our goals for this season,” Vlahovic said.
Atalanta will face unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final next week.
Juventus also beat Atalanta in the 2021 Cup final and the Bergamo squad’s only senior-level trophy remains the 1963 Italian Cup.
There were reports of clashes between Juventus and Atalanta fans at a rest stop on the highway leading down to Rome earlier in the day.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
