Juventus head coach Maurizio Sarri was enchanted with “unfortunate” Cristiano Ronaldo after the superstar missed a penalty in the Coppa Italia semi-final against Milan.
Ronaldo rattled the post with a sixteenth-moment penalty as Juve attracted 0-0 to 10-man Milan at home on Friday’s second leg on his way to the Coppa Italia final.
In February ‘s opening leg before the coronavirus pandemic, Juve’s Ronaldo scored a penalty to save a 1-1 draw to Milan, however, he was unable to repeat the feat behind closed doors in Turin.
Speaking to Rai Sport after the principal professional match in Italy since the outbreak of the Covid-19, Sarri said: “I asked Ronaldo to take on an increasingly central job, he was happy to give it a shot and he was playing the game he required at this point. He probably isn’t accustomed to missing a penalty, so it could go anywhere and he was unfortunate hitting within the post. I don’t think playing him a couple of meters further somehow would make such a decent player a major contrast. Everyone had a speedy 30-minute opening and then faded away.”
Series A champions Juve will face either Napoli or Inter in the Coppa Italia final in Rome on June 17 and Sarri added: “Clearly after a quarter of a year, returning to the touchline and seeing the teams out there is a positive sentiment, regardless of whether without the fans it’s not the same thing. I was extremely astonished and satisfied with our opening for 30 minutes, as we moved the ball so fast and dominated the game totally, even before the red card.”
“We gradually brought down our pace, speed, and mental toughness afterward, however, that’s a hazard in a vacant stadium. We ‘d been doing so well, playing one and two-touch football, yet then we eased back down and lost some sharpness, concentrating more on individual developments and taking two touches,” he added.
