05 April 2017
It may have been a defeat on the night but ultimately what matters is Juve secured their passage to the Coppa Italia final for the third year in a row – an achievement Andrea Barzagli insists the Bianconeri fully deserved.
“We were in control of the game and we played better than we did on Sunday,” the veteran defender explained after the semi-final second leg at the San Paolo finished 3-2 to the hosts.
“We know this is a tough place to come, though. It only takes one small slip-up and you can pay for it. You can't drop your guard for a moment here.”
Gonzalo Higuain's brace proved to be decisive as Juventus prevailed 5-4 on aggregate and the Argentine was booed by the home crowd on his return to his former stomping ground.
“That's part and parcel of the game,” Barzagli observed. “But he's a top striker and we're delighted he was able to score two tonight.
“We're having a great season and we're not affected by any of the negativity. People always like to talk about Juve – you expect that. We don't pay any attention to it really; we just concentrate on ourselves.”
