Dejan Kulusevski shone with a goal and an assist against his former club Atalanta in the Coppa Italia Final. Check out the player ratings from the Mapei Stadium.
Atalanta
Gollini 6.5 – Kulusevski’s curling effort was just impossible to catch, but showed cat-like reflexes to deny Cristiano Ronaldo in the second half. What a save that was.
Palomino 5 – Ronaldo is not the opponent you want to face in a Final, the Portuguese star often out-jumped him.
Romero 6.5 – Seemed to have that extra motivation to play against a club that had never believed in him, but messed around when Juventus scored the opener as wasn’t able to clear the area.
Toloi 5 – The Brazil-born defender with Italian passport was too soft and naïve when Juventus scored the winner. (Djimsiti 76 N/A)
Hateboer 5 – Was a threat only in the final minutes of the first half. Was caught off position when Chiesa scored the winner. (Ilicic 76 N/A)
De Roon 6.5 – He ran so much one could think there were two No. 15s on the pitch.
Freuler 5 – Not his best night, slow and often predictable.
Gosens 5.5 – McKennie didn’t always track back to help Cuadrado on his side, so Gosens had freedom to attack down the left flank. (Miranchuk 82 N/A)
Pessina 6.5 – He is the man who provides balance to Atalanta and he once again proved it. (Pasalic 68)
Malinovskyi 7 – Simply the best piece to complete Atalanta’s puzzle. He had scored 6 goals and delivered 9 assists in the previous 10 Serie A games. Proved to be Atalanta’s best player in the second part of the season scoring the equaliser minutes before the half time break. (Muriel 68)
Zapata 6.5 – De Ligt alone was not somehow not enough to control him, but had only one clear-cut chance.
Juvenuts
Buffon 6.5 – That was probably his last game in a Juventus shirt. Malinovskyi’s shot was unstoppable.
Cuadrado 7 – Atalanta fans taunted him for the whole game, accusing him of being a diver. He acted as if nothing was going on and put in a solid performance on both phases.
De Ligt 5.5 – Struggled to cope with Zapata, was booked in the first half so he had to pay extra attention for more than a hour.
Chiellini 6.5 – Picked up a yellow card early in the first half, but it didn’t seem to affect him.
Danilo 6.5 – Solid performance on the right flank. Struggled at times at the end of the first half.
McKennie 6 – Provided the assist for Kulusevski’s opener, but was too messy with the ball at his feet and wasted a couple of good opportunities at the edge of the box.
Bentancur 6.5 – He did what he is good at, short passes and tackles. But he is not a regista and never will be.
Rabiot 6 – Stepped up in the second half with runs into open spaces, but was at fault in Atalanta’s goal
Chiesa 7.5 – Hit the far post at the beginning of the second half, but didn’t miss the second chance. Decisive. (Dybala 75 N/A)
Kulusevski 8 – Broke the deadlock against the club that raised him and provided the assist for Chiesa. He had only player three games with Atalanta at a senior level before moving to Parma on loan and then to Juve on a permanent deal. Pirlo finally played him as attacking winger, the most suitable position for him. (Kulusevski 83 N/A)
Ronaldo 6.5 – Sometimes centre-forward, sometimes left winger. More involved in the attacking action than he used to be in the last few games. He always created something meaningful to his side.