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.”

Massimiliano Allegri has set his sights on winning three trophies as Juve enter the business end of the season with a Coppa Italia final spot in the bag after overcoming Napoli in the last four.

A 5-4 aggregate victory over Maurizio Sarri’s side means Juventus can add another date – 2 June – to their diaries but the boss is hoping the final two months of the campaign will get even busier yet.

“This is the start of a huge challenge for us – to go all the way in every competition,” Allegri said after the semi-final second leg at the Stadio San Paolo on Wednesday. “We want to fill up our diary for May and to do that, now that we’re through to the Coppa Italia final, we need to beat Barcelona.

“We must move forward aware of our ability, with confidence and enthusiasm if we want to keep raising the bar.”

From Napoli to Napoli

“It was a great match today. We played better than we did on Sunday, although we made it tough for ourselves by letting them back into it. We managed the game well, though, and overall it was an excellent display.

“It just shows you that games are never over. We would have preferred to win but the main thing is we’re in the final.”

El Pipita the man

“I knew I could count on Gonzalo. He’s been training really well recently. He’s looking fitter and sharper and that helped him show such a clinical touch in front of goal.”

Different games, different tactics

“Every match is different and you have to prepare for each one differently. There are times when you can play nice football and times when you can’t. It was a good performance today and we scored – we knew that was going to be crucial to our chances of going through.

“On Sunday we took the lead after eight minutes so we were able to manage the game in a different way. If anything, the mistakes we made on Sunday were more of a technical nature. We performed much better tonight.”

Allegri’s Juve

“The team has changed a lot but we have a good mix of youth and experience – this is a squad with enormous potential. Juve are a massive club and you can’t get much better than this.”

Two clinical finishes from Gonzalo Higuain in either half sent Juventus to a third consecutive Coppa Italia final at the expense of Napoli on a frantic night at the Stadio San Paolo.

Higuain looked to have twice killed off any hope of an Azzurri comeback to put Juve first 4-1 and then 5-2 up on aggregate either side of a Marek Hamsik equaliser only for Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne to reduce the aggregate deficit in a breathless opening to the second period.

Once 3-2 ahead on the night, Napoli failed to craft any further opportunities as Juve stood firm to book their place at the showpiece event in Rome where they will meet Lazio for the second time in three seasons.

FRANTIC START

Both sides began the game with the intention of establishing an early lead and both probably ought to have done so within the opening 10 minutes. After a basketball-style start to the action, Juve were left ruing a point-blank block on Alex Sandro after Napoli had failed to clear a corner.

The home side were cursing their own luck moments later as Norberto Neto superbly denied Jose Callejon on the six-yard line following Insigne’s clever backheel.

As the tension began to rise in midfield with yellow cards flashed in the directions of Callejon, Tomas Rincon, Kalidou Koulibaly and Juan Cuadrado, so too did the nerves in the Napoli defence, Vlad Chiriches nearly gifting the Bianconeri the lead only for Rincon to blaze over the bar unmarked.

HIGUAIN DOUBLE

Enter Higuain. For, no more than 60 seconds later, the 2015 and 2016 Coppa Italia winners were celebrating a fabulous opening goal.

Collecting Stefano Sturaro’s pass 25 yards out, the man of the hour advanced towards the danger zone, took one look up and delivered an unstoppable low drive inside Pepe Reina’s near post.

The relentless tempo that had characterised the first half somehow found new levels in the second, with Napoli wrestling control of the game from a thereto comfortable Juve.

Arkadiusz Milik almost caught Neto off guard from distance and was then denied by the same man in the penalty area, the Pole’s header expertly clawed out by the Brazilian goalkeeper.

Four goals in the space of 14 minutes then raised the bar on an already pulsating cup tie. Hamsik planted a precise shot past Neto to level the scores only for Juve to reply immediately, Cuadrado’s wizardry down the flank setting up Higuain to crash emphatically past Reina for a second time.

NAPOLI FIGHT, JUVE HOLD FIRM

Back came Napoli: within seconds of taking to the field in place of Milik, Dries Mertens capitalised on an unfortunate slip from Neto to roll the ball into an empty net before Insigne fired home Callejon’s cut-back to put the hosts in front for the first time on the night.

Miralem Pjanic and Andrea Barzagli replaced Rincon and Paulo Dybala respectively to restore control of proceedings and, while the Napoli storm calmed as the action entered the final five minutes, the Bianconeri remained entrenched in their own territory.

THIRD FINAL IN A ROW

With six minutes of added time indicated by the fourth official, substitute Leonardo Pavoletti fired narrowly over the bar via a deflection and Neto would claim four Napoli crosses in a packed penalty box, but it would not be enough for the Azzurri as Juventus held out to secure their place in a third consecutive final.

There could only be one possible candidate to supply Juventus’ most spectacular goal of March against Sampdoria at Genoa’s Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

Excellent work down the left flank from Kwadwo Asamoah put the scoring chance on a plate but the way in which it was taken on the full with a flying, diving header was pure inspiration, pure flair, pure Juan Cuadrado.

And so, in the same month in which Juan celebrated his 50^th Serie A appearance for the club and helped his native Colombia to a crucial World Cup Qualifying victory in South America, the number 7 has been deservedly voted Bianconeri fans’ EA Sports MVP for March.

Cuadrado will be presented with his prize pitchside by one lucky JMember this Saturday evening before the Old Lady take on Chievo at Juventus Stadium.

¡Gracias, Panita!