By our man in Turin
TURIN, ITALY – The magnificent modern arena of the Allianz Stadium proved once again why it is known as the Old Lady’s most lethal weapon last night, as Juventus dispatched Udinese 2-0 to saunter into the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.
This isn’t one of those crumbling, cavernous Italian cathedrals of football. The Allianz is a slick, 41,000-seat fortress of glass and steel, built to put the fans right on top of the action.
And last night, under the roar of the Bianconeri faithful, Udinese were systematically dismantled in a match that confirmed Juve’s status as a trophy-hoovering machine.
The atmosphere crackled early doors, and it was that immediate, close-quarter pressure the stadium is famed for that led to the opener. In the 23rd minute, Weston McKennie tore down the right flank, whipping in a dangerous, low cross. Striker Jonathan David was lurking, but Udinese’s young defender Matteo Palma panicked, bundling the ball into his own net in front of the rabid home end. 1-0, and the place absolutely erupted.
Udinese, wearing their own brand of black and white, found themselves suffocated by the home side’s control. Every pass was booed, every challenge met with a wall of noise that bounces off the stadium’s steep stands. This pitch is Juve’s immaculate patch of green—a true hunting ground.
The knockout blow arrived just after the hour mark. The same young man, Palma, lost his head, hacking down McKennie in the box. Refereeing technology, beamed onto the huge screens of the digital-age arena, confirmed the penalty.
Up stepped midfield maestro Manuel Locatelli.
He coolly slotted the spot-kick past the Udinese keeper in the 68th minute, a moment of pure class fitting for the sleek surroundings.
The 2-0 scoreline was utterly comfortable, the three points sealing Juve’s progression. It was a victory forged in efficiency and underpinned by the intimidating aura of their futuristic home.
While the goals might have been slightly scrappy—an own goal and a penalty—the result was vintage Juventus: decisive, dominant, and fully in charge on their own turf. The Old Lady marches on, and the Allianz Stadium has claimed another victim.
