Coach Roberto d'Aversa said that the players of Empoli had written history by going to the semi -final of Coppa Italia.
The Serie A-wreststers defeated Juventus 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday, making their bad form in the competition light.
Empoli entered the match on the back of an 11 match Winless Run, where they had only taken two points, while they also rotated heavily on their team.
But despite this they took the lead through Youssef Maleh and they could get through after a dramatic penalty.
“The boys wrote a page in the history books for this club and we can use this for our Serie A Future, because we have a crucial game in Genoa this weekend,” D'Aversa told Mediaset.
“We came from a tough defeat, so I asked the boys to give a response with their pride and they went upstairs and further.
“We will enjoy this wonderful achievement, also in view of the fact that there were three players who were products from our youth academy.
“I hope this will show the players that if they approach games with this attitude every time, we will certainly achieve our goal.”
Full -time at the Allianz Stadium. #Juveempoli #coppaitaliafrecciarossa pic.twitter.com/wkzrffvtyx
– JuventusFC (@Juventusfcen) 26 February 2025
Empoli was hammered 5-0 by Atalanta in their most recent match prior to the quarterfinals of Coppa, and are currently third soil in the Serie A and Op Koers for relegation.
So, to eliminate Juventus was quite a challenge, and D'Aversa was proud of how his players deal with the pressure to take punishments.
“During the penalties, the boys were calm as veterans, even though there were so many young people in the side,” he said.
“It was a difficult moment and I won't lie, I didn't expect this. Taking those penalties at the end with the Juventus Ultras was all the more remarkable.
“We take this wonderful qualification, but also the confidence that the result will give us in the future.”
Empoli will be confronted with Bologna in April in a two -legged semi -final of the Coppa Italia.
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