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Juventus wins Italian Cup to stay on track for treble

ROME — Serie A champion Juventus added the Italian Cup title to its trophy case with a 2-1 win over Lazio in extra time today (May 21, morning, Singapore time), setting up a chance for a treble.

ROME — Serie A champion Juventus added the Italian Cup title to its trophy case with a 2-1 win over Lazio in extra time today (May 21, morning, Singapore time), setting up a chance for a treble.

Substitute Alessandro Matri scored from the center of the area in the 97th minute with a shot that Lazio goalkeeper Etrit Berisha should have saved.

Defenders scored for each side in the opening minutes of the first half.

Stefan Radu headed in for Lazio inside the near post following a free kick from Danilo Cataldi on the right flank four minutes in.

Giorgio Chiellini equalized in the 11th with an acrobatic display after Patrice Evra redirected a free kick from Andrea Pirlo toward him at the edge of the box.

Later, it was Chiellini who received the trophy from Italy President Sergio Mattarella.

The Bianconeri will target the final piece of the treble against Barcelona in the Champions League final in Berlin on June 6.

“Now let’s see if we can win the third (title),” Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said. “Lazio played a great match and we did well to score goals. ... (The treble) is a dream and a possibility, because we’ve won two and there’s only one more to go. It’s a single match against the strongest team in the world.”

Inter Milan is the only Italian team to have won the treble — under Jose Mourinho in 2010.

“This will give us the motivation we need to go for another title,” Matri said.

It was Juve’s record 10th Italian Cup title, but first since 1995. Lazio has six titles.

“To win you need a bit of luck and we didn’t have it,” Lazio coach Stefano Pioli said. “It was a great match between two teams that were really playing football. For a matter of only a few centimeters we weren’t able to go ahead when it mattered. ... Football — and life — is a question of centimetres.”

Lazio faces city rival Roma on Monday in a Serie A derby that could decide which side finishes second and gets direct entry into the Champions League.

“We can win that match and I think we showed that tonight,” Pioli said.

Security was heavy outside the stadium, a response to last year’s final when a Napoli fan suffered gunshot wounds away from the stadium and later died.

With Alvaro Morata suspended, Fernando Llorente paired with Carlos Tevez in Juventus’ attack, while Miroslav Klose was supported by Antonio Candreva and Felipe Anderson for Lazio.

Candreva drew the foul that set up the opening goal. With Gianluigi Buffon being rested, Juve’s reserve goalkeeper Marco Storari could only get a weak hand on Radu’s header.

After Chiellini’s equalizer, Llorente nearly put Juve ahead with a header that went just above the crossbar.

Lazio midfielder Marco Parolo sent a bouncing shot just wide in the 32nd and 10 minutes later, Berisha got into trouble and nearly let Tevez deflect his attempted clearance into the net.

There were few clear chances in the second half, with Matri having a goal disallowed for offside in the 87th.

Tevez took a chance at the target from well outside the area in second-half added time with a shot that was only one meter (yard) above the bar.

Filip Djordjevic, who replaced Klose late in the second half, produced a long shot that ricocheted off both posts and away from the goal in the 94th.

Three minutes later, Matri — who had replaced Llorente — took advantage when the ball bounced off defender Mauricio. Berisha dived to his left and got his hands to the low shot but couldn’t stop it from going in. AP

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