Cristiano Ronaldo Loses Consecutive Finals For the First Time
Juventus superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, had a cold outing on Wednesday night and couldn’t seal another trophy for Maurizio Sarri’s side as Napoli won the Coppa Italia final on penalties.
However, this makes it the first time the Portuguese hero lost a second consecutive final in his football career.
After a goalless draw in normal time, Napoli secured the trophy in a penalty shootout, beating the Bianconeri 4-2 after Paulo Dybala’s kick was saved while Danilo blasted the ball.
While Ronaldo played the entire game – he had three shots and hit the target with one – he did not get the chance to take a spot-kick as Gennaro Gattuso’s men were declared winners before the Portugal star’s turn came around.
After losing the Supercoppa Italiana to Lazio at the end of last year, it is the second straight final defeat for Maurizio Sarri’s side.
While Ronaldo has contested many domestic and continental finals with every team he has represented so far in his illustrious career, the 35-year-old had never before lost two in a row.
This year’s Coppa Italia is the first in 11 years to be decided by a penalty shootout, while it is the sixth time Napoli have lifted the trophy in their history – only four teams have won it more often.
However, with the Coppa Italia wrapped up, Serie A will return on Saturday, with Torino taking on Parma in the first game back from the coronavirus-enforced suspension.
Juve’s first game back will be against Bologna on June 22, with Napoli taking on Hellas Verona the following day.
