Coco Gauff continued her fine form with a 6-3 6-3 quarter-final triumph over fellow American Amanda Anisimova at the Emilia-Romagna Open.

In a contest between two teenage stars, it was 17-year-old Gauff who sealed her second semi-final spot in as many weeks, having made the last four at the Internazionali d'Italia.

Third seed Gauff will face Katerina Siniakova next, after the Czech followed up her win over Serena Williams with a 7-5 6-1 defeat of Caroline Garcia.

"I was pretty satisfied with the way I played," Gauff said, after fending off Anisimova.

"I do think I could have served a little bit better, but other than that, I was pretty happy with the way I played."

Despite her valid concerns, Gauff won 72 per cent of points after landing her first serve and forced six breaks to win in style, reeling off six games on the trot from 3-0 behind in the second set.

The other semi-final will see second seed Wang Qiang take on Sloane Stephens.

Wang prevailed 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 7-5 against Petra Martic, while Stephens saw off Sara Errani 6-3 6-0.

It was another rain-affected day at the Serbia Open, where Maria Camila Osorio Serrano managed to get past Kamilla Rakhimova 4-6 6-3 6-4.

Anna Kalinskaya and Reka Luca Jani were locked at one set apiece in the only other match to get started before the weather halted play.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen has undergone treatment on a knee injury, Barcelona have announced.

The Germany international has had what Barcelona described as a "therapeutic procedure" on the patellar tendon of his right knee.

Ter Stegen announced on May 17 that he would miss the Euro 2020 finals in order to make a full recovery.

His decision came after Barca's shock home defeat to Celta Vigo meant they could no longer win the LaLiga title.

"I have decided together with the medical team of the club that I will do a complementary intervention on my knee," Ter Stegen said via an Instagram post.

"I'm sad that I will miss Euro 2020 this summer with Germany. For the first time in many years I will be a fan at home supporting my country, I hope we win it!

"After the summer break, when we are back on the pitch I hope to be able to play with fans [in attendance] once again, I miss it!

"Thank you for your support throughout a difficult season and stay healthy!"

Earlier, Barca also announced midfielder Pedri will miss the final match of the season against Eibar on Saturday after being given permission to start his holidays early.

The 18-year-old has played 52 times in all competitions under Ronald Koeman this season, making him the second-youngest in history to reach a half-century of appearances for the club, behind only Bojan Krkic.

Since 2013-14, Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic have been the only two other players to have appeared in 50 games in their first campaign at Barca.

Pedri has played in all 37 of Barca's previous league games this season, starting 28 times.

Andrea Vendrame edged out Chris Hamilton in a two-man sprint finish to claim his maiden stage win at a Grand Tour on Thursday.

The Italian took the honours at the end of the Giro d'Italia's 212-kilometre 12th stage from Siena to Bagno di Romagna, during which riders contended with hellish climbs and drastic changes in the weather.

INEOS Grenadiers' Egan Bernal still leads the way by 45 seconds in the fight for the maglia rosa, safely navigating through mountain passes and peaks reached via gradients of up to 15 per cent, while sporadic downpours made the sharp descents a white-knuckle ride.

Gianluca Brambilla crossed the line third but was relegated a place, with George Bennett promoted to the podium position following a "jury decision", according to Bennett's Jumbo-Visma team.

There might have been a better outcome for Brambilla had he and fellow breakaway rider Bennett decided to work together rather than against one another, with some apparent bickering between the two effectively ending the hopes of both.

There were no major changes in the GC standings, but Trek-Segafredo veteran Vincenzo Nibali did get seven seconds back thanks to a typically bold ride to keep his slim hopes alive.

Ahead of him at the front of the pack it was compatriot Vendrame who tasted success on home soil, the AG2R Citroen Team rider getting the better of Hamilton to finally win a stage on what is his fourth appearance at the Giro.

STAGE RESULT  
 
1. Andrea Vendrame (AG2R Citroene Team) 5:43:48
2. Chris Hamilton (Team DSM) +0.00
3. George Bennett (Jumbo-Visma) +0.15
4. Gianluca Brambilla (Trek-Segafredo) +0.15
5. Giovanni Visconti (Bardiani CSF Faizane) +1.12

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
 
General Classification
 
1. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) 48:29:23
2. Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana-Premier Tech) +0.45
3. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) +1.12

Points Classification
 
1. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) 108
2. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) 91
3. Davide Cimolai (Israel Start-Up Nation) 91

King of the Mountains

1. Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R Citroen Team) 96
2. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) 48
3. Dries De Bondt (Alpecin-Fenix) 24

Lance Stroll acknowledged Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has proven his talent in tussles with team-mate Valtteri Bottas, even if his Mercedes gives him an advantage over the rest of the grid.

Hamilton has won a record-equalling seven drivers' championships, including six of the past seven with Mercedes.

Former team-mate Nico Rosberg won the title in 2016 when Hamilton faltered, meaning the Silver Arrows have accounted for seven straight triumphs, matching that streak in the constructors' championship.

Mercedes' advantage with a consistently excellent car is clear, as Stroll highlighted this season when he said: "If you put Lewis Hamilton in a McLaren, he won't win the race."

However, speaking to Stats Perform, the Aston Martin driver explained there is still no doubting Hamilton's ability.

Besides Rosberg's five-point 2016 triumph, the Briton has beaten his Mercedes team-mate in every season since he joined the team in 2013.

"You still have to beat your team-mate," Stroll told Stats Perform. "For example, in Mercedes, Lewis has Valtteri and he managed to win the title for so many years.

"You've still got to deliver every weekend and fight up in the front. He has been able to do that.

"But there is no doubt that having a good car makes the difference in the way you finish. This is the story of F1, that's how it has been for a long time and it still is."

Aston Martin, backed by Stroll's father Lawrence, earned only five points in the first four races in 2021 – none of them supplied by new signing Sebastian Vettel – following changes to car regulations that Hamilton has suggested were "done to peg [Mercedes] back".

Stroll, whose low-rake car uses a Mercedes power unit, said: "Last year, at the beginning, we were more competitive, but now, with new regulations, things are a bit different."

He does, however, enjoy being paired with four-time champion Vettel, adding: "It is great working with Seb.

"He is an incredible talent with great experience. He is a great team-mate I and look forward to working with him for the rest of the season."

Stephen Curry was delighted to be back in a big game for the Golden State Warriors, even if Wednesday's play-in defeat to the LeBron James-inspired Los Angeles Lakers was a painful one.

Curry led the game in scoring with 37 points, but an early Warriors advantage – 13 points by halftime – was wiped out by the opening stages of the fourth quarter.

It left Curry in a shootout with James which the reigning NBA Finals MVP won with a sublime 30-foot three-pointer over the Golden State point guard as the shot clock expired.

The Warriors could not respond, as Curry rued a third quarter in which his team had eight turnovers "that changed the dynamic of the game", as the Lakers also visited the foul line eight times – making all eight shots.

Victory takes LA through as the seventh seed in the West to a first-round series against the Phoenix Suns, while Golden State must now prepare for a one-off game against the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth seed.

"We'll be ready," Curry said. "Right now, it sucks. We played pretty well tonight.

"We've missed this type of environment, it was a lot of fun, high intensity, high, competitive level. I'm proud of everyone who stepped on the floor tonight, how they played.

"They made a run in the third quarter, we turned the ball over and it changed the game, but we still gave ourselves a chance to win.

"That's all we've worried about for the last 48 hours. Walking in the locker room, guys were upset, angry, frustrated we didn't get the job done.

"But we'll be ready for Friday, treating it like a regular season where you have to move on very quickly to a different team that we just beat, knowing they're going to come in with the same desperation we're going to have. It's the biggest game of the year."

A play-in debut was Curry's 113th postseason appearance but his first since the 2019 NBA Finals.

"It was awesome," he said. "I don't know how many fans were here, but the prep leading into the game, the film study, the walkthroughs, our practice, the level of focus and intensity, it was amazing.

"I was telling Jordan Bell on the bench in the middle of the third quarter: 'I miss this.'

"It's been almost two years since the Finals that we were here in a game that had those type of consequences. It's what you live for, it's what you work so hard for.

"It brings out the best in you in terms of your competitiveness and energy and all that. I love it, so we have to run it back Friday and hopefully all next week."

This was the first time Curry had played the Lakers in such a game, with LA failing to make a Finals series between their title wins in 2010 and 2020 as the Warriors played in five straight.

"It'd be nice if we could make it back here round two or whatever it shapes out to be," Curry said.

James is a familiar foe, however, with his Cleveland Cavaliers the opponent for Golden State in four of those years, winning in 2016.

His brilliant make – his second of the night from three-point land – came as no surprise to Curry.

"It was a great shot, a broken play, I snuck in thinking he was out of play," he said. "They found him, he got his balance just in time and knocked the shot down.

"That was a tough one because you don't really expect it to go in. You expect us to get the rebound, come down in transition and have a possession to take the lead.

"But everything changes when it goes in. All-time great players make great shots, that's what happens. It's no different tonight, but that's a tough one."

But Curry appeared to compare the shot to a three from James' former Cavs team-mate Kyrie Irving, who sunk the decisive effort in Game 7 five years ago.

"This one I was a little further away, so I don't feel too bad about it," Curry said.

The Warriors can ill afford to mull over James' heroics any longer, though, as they face a Grizzlies team they beat as recently as Sunday to reach the seven-eight game.

That victory concluded a 15-5 run to finish the regular season, so Curry, who called for Golden State to "just have fun with it" and "come out swinging", is confident they can recover swiftly.

"We've had to do it the last 20 games, so it's no different," he said.

"It is a win or go home scenario, but we've had high confidence, had a string of wins and then had a tough loss and had to bounce back. We've been there."

Fernando Tatis Jr returned for the first time since May 9 with a bang as the San Diego Padres won 3-0 against the Colorado Rockies in MLB on Wednesday.

Tatis had been absent following a positive coronavirus test earlier in the month but picked up where he left off with four hits including a home run.

The 22-year-old hit a single down the middle with his first bat back, before showing off a little yoga after stealing second base.

At the bottom of the fourth with two outs, Tatis hit a homer from Chi Chi Gonzalez to put the Padres up 1-0.

He almost completed the cycle, needing a triple in the eighth, but he had to settle for a base hit.

San Diego also welcomed back Eric Hosmer, while Wil Myers is expected to return this weekend.

The win means the Padres have won six in a row and nine of their past 10 games.

The year of the no-hitter

Corey Kluber tossed down his career-first no-hitter as the New York Yankees eclipsed the Texas Rangers 2-0.

Kluber, who moved from the Rangers to the Yankees in the off-season, struck out nine batters across nine innings in a remarkable display.

Willie Calhoun hit a ground ball to Gleyber Torres at second who threw to first to complete Kluber's maiden no-no.

The no-hitter comes only 24 hours after Spencer Turnbull's for the Detroit Tigers, marking the first time no-hitters have occurred on consecutive days since 1969. The 35-year-old right-hander, who has battled injury over the past two years, becomes the first Yankee to toss down a no-hitter since David Cone in 1999.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said: "We're excited for him and his story and what he's been through. Tonight we celebate Corey Kluber and a masterful performance."

Kluber's feat continues a trend in the season dubbed 'The Year of the No-No' as the sixth no-hitter in MLB this year. The season record is seven no-hitters.

Shohei Ohtani was pulled as the Los Angeles Angels slipped to 18-24 with a 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

Ohtani, who was hitting and pitching in the same game for the fourth time, started well but was pulled after Jake Bauers homered in the fifth.

Randy Arozarena pulled off a spectacular outfield catch in the Tampa Bay Rays' 9-7 victory at the Baltimore Orioles, which improves their record to 25-19.

Juan Soto hit a spectacular home run with a moon shot on one knee in the Washington Nationals' 4-3 win at the Chicago Cubs.

More Twins woes

After conceding 16 runs a few days earlier to the Chicago White Sox, the Minnesota Twins hit back with a win in their series on Tuesday, before a 2-1 loss on Wednesday. The Twins tidied things up, only giving up one run, but still suffered their 11th loss from their past 14.

Acuna's walk-off home run

Ronald Acuna keeps on producing heroics with a walk-off home run, his 13th homer of the 2021 MLB season, clinching the Atlanta Braves a 5-4 win over the New York Mets.

Wednesday's results

Chicago White Sox 2-1 Minnesota Twins
San Diego Padres 3-0 Colorado Rockies
San Francisco Giants 4-0 Cincinnati Reds
Miami Marlins 3-1 Philadelphia Phillies
Tampa Bay Rays 9-7 Baltimore Orioles
Atlanta Braves 5-4 New York Mets
Boston Red Sox 7-3 Toronto Blue Jays
Washington Nationals 4-3 Chicago Cubs
St Louis Cardinals 8-5 Pittsburgh Pirates
New York Yankees 2-0 Texas Rangers
Cleveland Indians 3-2 Los Angeles Angels
Kansas City Royals 6-4 Milwaukee Brewers
Houston Astros 8-1 Oakland Athletics
Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 Arizona Diamondbacks
Detroit Tigers 6-2 Seattle Mariners

Red Sox at Blue Jays

American League East leaders the Boston Red Sox (26-18) will continue their series away to the Toronto Blue Jays (23-18) in Dunedin.

LeBron James scored a clutch three-pointer with less than a minute to go to book the Los Angeles Lakers place in the NBA playoffs with a 103-100 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.

Shortly after copping a Draymond Green finger to the eye and with the shot clock elapsing, James was out of rhythm when he received a pass but drained a huge three with 58 seconds left in their play-in game.

The shot put the Lakers up 103-100 and they would not surrender that lead, as Stephen Curry lost a late inbound pass with 2.1 seconds on the clock.

The result means the Lakers claim seventh seed and will take on the second seed Phoenix Suns, while the Warriors will face the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday to earn eighth seed to face the Utah Jazz in the playoffs.

James had a triple-double, finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for the Lakers.

Anthony Davis was crucial defensively, closing down Curry in the final play, and ending the game with 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Curry had 37 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Warriors, who had led by 13 points at the main break, after the point guard scored 15 in the second.

The Grizzlies withstood the San Antonio Spurs' late charge to progress to the eighth seed play-in game against Golden State with a 100-96 victory.

Memphis led by 21 points at one stage but were headed by the Spurs in the final quarter, before rallying to take the win.

The Memphis Grizzlies withstood the San Antonio Spurs' late charge to progress to the eighth seed play-in game with a 100-96 victory.

The Grizzlies led by 21 points at one stage but were headed by the Spurs in the final quarter, before rallying to take the win.

Center Jonas Valanciunas was huge for Memphis with 23 points and 23 rebounds, while Ja Morant chipped in with 20 points, six assists and six rebounds and Dillon Brooks had a game-high 24 points.

Spurs forward DeMar DeRozan had a game to forget, shooting five-from-21 from the field to finish with 20 points, while Dejounte Murray shot from-from-17 from the field, with neither making a three.

The defeat means Spurs miss the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history.

New York Yankees pitcher Corey Kluber has thrown the sixth no-hitter of the 2021 MLB season and the second on consecutive days.

The 35-year-old right-hander tossed down nine strikeouts across nine innings in the Yankees' 2-0 win over his former franchise Texas Rangers on Wednesday.

Kluber moved from the Rangers in the off-season and becomes the first Yankee to throw a no-hitter since David Cone in 1999.

It is the two-time CY Young award winner's first career no-hitter and marked his return after two years battling injury, pitching only one inning for the Rangers last season.

"It's all kind of emotions. It's excitement but also relief because it's over," Kluber said post-game on YES Network. "We were fortunate in that they hit them right at people."

Kluber's 101-pitch feat follows on from Spencer Turnbull's no-hitter for the Detroit Tigers against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday.

Joe Musgrove, Carlos Rodon, John Means and Wade Miley have also thrown no-nos this season.

The record for the most no-hitters in a single MLB season is seven.

Returning Brooklyn Nets star James Harden says his impact should not be measured on the stats sheet ahead of the NBA playoffs.

Harden joined the Nets from the Houston Rockets in January but missed five weeks with a hamstring injury, before returning to action last week.

The 2018 NBA MVP came off the bench to play 26 minutes and add 18 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists in his return game last week in a 128-116 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

He offered a more modest return with five points, five rebounds and seven assists from 25 minutes in Saturday's win over the Chicago Bulls, before being rested for Sunday's victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"I thought winning was all that matters?" Harden said on Wednesday. "When I was doing the stats and putting up the numbers, it wasn't good enough.

"At some point we've got to figure out what we're talking about. But it's all about winning.

"My impact doesn't have to show up on the stat sheet for us to win. I think my job as a leader is to make sure everybody's playing well. If I'm doing that, I can focus on myself last. That's not a problem at all."

The Nets are among the favourites to win the 2020-21 NBA title but first will take on the Boston Celtics in the playoffs first round starting Saturday.

Harden was wary of Celtics star Jayson Tatum who scored 50 points in their play-in game victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.

"One thing we can’t have is let a guy score 30, 40 on us comfortably," Harden said.

"He scores in bunches and scores from all over the court."

Kylian Mbappe is delighted to get the chance to play alongside Karim Benzema at Euro 2020, declaring there are not many better players than the Real Madrid forward.

Benzema, 33, earned his first France call-up in over five years on Tuesday when he was included in Didier Deschamps' squad for the delayed Euro 2020 tournament.

Mbappe, meanwhile, continued his excellent season with a brilliant display in Paris Saint-Germain's 2-0 win over Monaco in the Coupe de France final on Wednesday, teeing up Mauro Icardi's opener and scoring himself late on.

It was the eighth direct goal involvement of Mbappe's Coupe de France campaign (five games), topping his previous best of seven in the competition, set in 2017-18.

Yet the main focus in the post-match news conference was on Benzema's return to Les Bleus' squad.

"I'm very happy. I've always said that I wanted to play with great players," said Mbappe.

"Benzema, I didn't [play with him]. There is not many [players] above him in the world. He will bring us a lot.

"He played at Madrid for 10 years, the pressure, he knows, he has the experience and the talent above all. The big players adapt. I'm sure he will adapt very quickly."

Mbappe was also asked if he would be in place to help PSG push on for a 15th Coupe de France trophy next season.

"We must take advantage of this title," he answered with a smile, deflecting the question somewhat. 

"Look at all the people who are happy! This is most important. And I am the happiest!"

PSG have won two trophies this season under Mauricio Pochettino, and the Ligue 1 title race is going down to the wire. Should they beat Brest on Sunday, and Lille drop points against Angers, the capital club will snatch the top-flight crown.

"We work every day to have this type of emotion, reward and recognition," Mbappe added.

"It's the work of a whole group, a whole staff, who work every day for us, for the club. The supporters, the title is for them too.

"When you play for Paris Saint-Germain, one of the best clubs in the world, the biggest in the country, every title counts."

Monaco boss Niko Kovac, meanwhile, said there was one major difference between the teams at Stade de France.

"The difference tonight is Mbappe," he said.

"He is one of the best players in the world, if not the best at the moment. All the clubs are fighting to have him. We had him, we no longer have him."

Andrea Pirlo wants to remain as Juventus head coach next season, but accepts the decision could be taken out of his hands. 

Pirlo has endured a challenging first season in charge of the Bianconeri, but he steered them to a record-extending 14th Coppa Italia title with a 2-1 win over Atalanta on Wednesday.

Federico Chiesa scored the decisive goal 17 minutes from full-time after Ruslan Malinovskiy had earlier cancelled out Dejan Kulusevski's fine strike. 

The triumph meant Pirlo became the fourth Juve boss to win the Coppa Italia as both a player and a coach, after Luis Monti, Carlo Parola and Dino Zoff.

Juve need to beat Bologna on the final day of the season on Sunday and hope one of Napoli or Milan slip up in their respective games against Hellas Verona and Atalanta to qualify for next season's Champions League. 

While Pirlo accepts it has been a difficult season, he insists he has no intention of stepping down from his role at the end of the campaign. 

"We wouldn't be here talking about fifth place and a premature Champions League exit if it had been a totally positive season," he told RAI Sport. "There were ups and downs, these two trophies [Juve also won the Supercoppa Italiana] cannot cancel that out.

"For my first season, I have learned a great deal and then found these satisfactions that are very gratifying.

"Of course I would confirm myself in this role. I've loved football since I was a child and will continue to love it. The club will decide, but I love coaching. I love this club, and we'll see what is decided. I would like to continue."

Pirlo also revealed Chiesa was almost denied his moment of glory, with Paulo Dybala poised to replace him. 

"We were about to take him off when he scored; that's football for you," he said. "Not everyone has scored a decisive goal in a cup final, so it's great for him."

While Juve largely struggled in the first half at the Mapei Stadium, they were a team reborn in the second period. 

They limited Atalanta – who had Rafael Toloi sent off late on after he had already been substituted – to just a single shot on target after the break, with Pirlo attributing their improved display to a few half-time tweaks. 

"It was a wonderful game with two great teams who fought from start to finish," he added. 

"[Juan] Cuadrado was a little too deep in the first half, but I told him to be more ferocious on [Robin] Gosens and [Weston] McKennie to attack their centre-back. We did it in the second half and it all went much better."

Juventus had more than the obvious reasons to rue the miracles worked by Atalanta head coach Gian Piero Gasperini as they were made to dig into dwindling reserves during Wednesday's Coppa Italia final.

Most of the way through their utter dominance of Serie A over the past decade, Juve decided winning alone wasn't enough – certainly not if they were to become a preeminent force in Europe.

They needed a superstar and along came Cristiano Ronaldo. That was half the job and, fittingly considering their marque signing, the other part concerned aesthetics.

Increasingly in the modern game, the way in which a team wins marks them out as great. Massimiliano Allegri was certainly no arch practitioner of catenaccio but he was a coach of substance more than style.

Juve did not want pragmatism, they wanted a philosophy. After all, Gasperini's Atalanta – all intricate whirring parts – were compiled on a shoe string and scoring goals by the bucket load. Why couldn't the grand Old Lady have some of that?

And so, Allegri made way for Maurizio Sarri. A ninth consecutive Scudetto arrived via Sarriball but with little of the desired joy. So off he went and in came club great and coaching rookie Andrea Pirlo.

Charged with improving a bankable winning machine, Pirlo headed to the final in Reggio Emilia with Juve's Champions League qualification hopes now out of their hands. Admittedly, his board don't seem too keen on that competition nowadays.

The Bianconeri tried to match Atalanta stride for stride during the opening stages but they coughed up chances and were fortunate to see the best of those fall to lumbering centre-back Jose Luis Palomino – Gianluigi Buffon's early save so crucial to this 2-1 victory and the goalkeeping great riding off into the sunset with one last piece of silverware.

Duvan Zapata fired into the side-netting and made the first half an utterly torrid experience for Matthijs de Ligt. Juve were snapping into challenges and trying to roll with the punches, but much of the first half looked like a team in the season's latest fashion trying to match a catwalk model stride for stride.

Then a player reared in the Atalanta style opened the scoring. For Juventus.

Dejan Kulusevski moved to Turin from Bergamo, via an electrifying loan spell with Parma, in deal that could be worth €44million to Atalanta.

Whether that is a price worth paying after the Sweden attacker's goal and assist denied them a first major honour for 58 years is a tantalising question, but selling gems like Kulusevski and Manchester United winger Amad Diallo at huge mark ups is a massive reason why Atalanta head into the final weekend in Serie A guaranteed a Champions League spot for a third consecutive campaign.

They are an impeccably run club, and this defeat to a Juve in shambles will truly sting. The build-up to the 31st-minute opener was as chaotic as the club who scored it, but Kulusevski's curled left-footed finish was an utter delight.

The response to that artistic flourish came via the sledgehammer of Ruslan Malinovskiy's left boot after the brilliant Remo Freuler – who completed more passes (55) and gained possession (nine) more times than any of his team-mates – ransacked Adrien Rabiot.

At that point, it felt like there was only one winner, but Juve regrouped, re-established their lead and Atalanta's discipline unravelled.

There will be a lot of guff spoken about Juventus' DNA and such, although this victory owed everything to the younger more recently attached parts to this Frankenstein's monster of a team.

De Ligt came out the other side of his Zapata ordeal and produced a heroic and painful block to deny Cristian Romero when it was still all square, giving the Dutchman a more grizzled contribution to this win than the wonderfully weathered Giorgio Chiellini alongside him.

Kulusevski drew a sharp reaction stop from Pierluigi Gollini and Ronaldo's deft backheel saw Federico Chiesa hit the post.

Ronaldo seemed happy to play second-fiddle to the bright young things alongside him and they combined for glory, Chiesa coming inside menacingly from the left and exchanging passes with Kulusevski to score emphatically.

It was the sort of sleek goal desired to be a feature of the post-Allegri years and this piece of silverware should help a team in transition, even if the evidence of the season as a whole suggests Pirlo is not the man to lead it.

Buffon lovingly strapped his gloves back on to lift the trophy – the 19th major honour of an incredible senior career at club and international level – but this was a night that belonged to the players who will shape Juve's future. It is a future that aspires stylistically to romantics like Gasperini, however little comfort that might provide for him and his beaten players.