Cristiano Ronaldo never had a chance. Arkadiusz Milik converted the decisive spot kick in a penalty shootout as Napoli won its sixth Italian Cup following a 0-0 draw with Juventus on Wednesday. Ronaldo was likely Juventus' last penalty taker but after Paulo Dybala had his shot saved and Danilo blasted high over the goal, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner could only stand at midfield and watch as Napoli won the shootout 4-2.
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Afterward, Ronaldo appeared on the verge of tears. ``He was a little sad at the result,'' explained teammate Juan Cuadrado. ``It's always a lottery when it goes to penalties.'' Ronaldo had a good look at the goal five minutes in but his effort was pushed away by Napoli's second-choice goalkeeper Alex Meret. As the match wore on, he made less of an impact.
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Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri said Ronaldo is struggling to regain his famous acceleration speed after the shutdown forced by the coronavirus pandemic. "Unfortunately that's normal when you're not playing games,'' Sarri said.
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Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso, still mourning the recent death of his younger sister, was visibly emotional afterward. Napoli was in complete disarray when Gattuso was hired in December amid a player mutiny over a forced training camp ordered by club president Aurelio De Laurentiis. "Life and especially football has given me so much more than I gave to it,'' said Gattuso, who besides a trophy-laden career with AC Milan also played on the Italy team that won the 2006 World Cup. ``In life, you always think of your parents and family first, so naturally what happened is hard to accept. I have such passion for football, I know that I can't let go even for a second.''
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While it was played in an empty stadium, the final was another sign of the return to normality in a country hard-hit by the coronavirus. The nearly 35,000 who died from COVID-19 in Italy could have filled half of the 70,000-seat Stadio Olimpico. In an impromptu self-service awards ceremony, Napoli president Aurelio Del Laurentiis and Juventus counterpart Andrea Agnelli placed the medals around players' necks. Italy's president usually does the honors.
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It's the second trophy that Juventus have missed out on this season after losing to Lazio in the Italian Super Cup in December. But Juventus remains the favorites for a record-extending ninth straight Serie A title with a one-point lead over Lazio, and are also still in the Champions League.
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That mattered little to the Napoli fans who seemed to forget about social-distancing measures as they took to the streets of Naples to celebrate.
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Despite government warnings about gathering in large numbers, the Napoli supporters thronged the city centre and partied late into the night.
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As they were not allowed to attend the match itself, the fans decided to do what they could to mark the occasion - and did so peacefully, if against coronavirus prevention protocols.
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