Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to inspire Juventus to victory in the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday as Napoli claimed their first major trophy in six years.
The two sides could not be separated after a goalless 90 minutes – thanks largely to the heroics of 42-year-old Gianluigi Buffon – and with no extra-time, they headed straight for a penalty shootout.
Paulo Dybala and Danilo missed the Old Lady’s first two spot-kicks, while Napoli were successful with all four of theirs to win the shootout 4-2 behind closed doors in Rome.
Ronaldo, who was probably in line to take the fifth penalty, did not feature in the shootout – instead it was Napoli’s Arkadiusz Milik who became the hero by slotting home the winning spot-kick.
Napoli were considerable underdogs against the Serie A leaders, but victory was no less than what they deserved after creating the better chances during normal time.
It gives Gennaro Gattuso his first trophy as a manager, while defeat for Ronaldo marks a more unwanted feat.
For the first time in his illustrious career, the 35-year-old has lost two consecutive finals, following Juve’s defeat to Lazio in the Supercoppa last December.
And, to be fair, he didn’t really show up in either of them.
Juventus will have little time to lick their wounds as the Serie A season resumes this weekend, with the Turin giants currently atop the standings by just one point ahead of second-placed Lazio.
