After 18 spine busting penalties, Napoli lifted their second Italian Super Cup trophy after an intense penalty shoot-out that rattled the whole Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar. The regulation ended 2-2 and went to the penalty shootout where Napoli outscored Juventus 6-5.
It was definitely a night to remember in Qatar. The opening goal was scored by Carlos Tevez. 68 minutes into the match and Gonzalo Higuain scored the decisive equalizer that sent the game into extra time. Tevez scored his second goal of the night in the 106th minute only to be leveled again by Higuain just two minutes before the end of extra time. It is interesting to note that both players play for the Argentine national team as teammates. Napoli goalie Rafael Cabral made what could be the most important save of his entire career when he denied Simone Padoin's shot in the ninth round of penalties. A save that gave Napoli its first win since they first held the cup in 1990.
Juventus earned their Italian Super Cup seat after emerging on top of Italy's Serie A last season. Napoli on the other hand qualified as the champions of Coppa Italia. The match was rescheduled from its original date which was supposed to be last August in order to give way to Napoli's participation in the play-off of UEFA's Champions League. Both Italian teams will be heading for the winter break and will back on the field again in early January.
In the penalty shootout, Juventus goal keeper and Italian national team veteran Gianluigi Buffon made three almost impossible save to give Juventus a good headstart. Unfortunately, Juventus strikers din not convert the opportunity into goals, missing the target twice. Napoli goal keeper Rafael Cabral on the other hand only managed to save two strikes but it is more than enough to give Napoli the much deserved win.
