May 11, (THEWILL) –Â Inter won the Coppa Italia for the first time since 2011, coming from behind to defeat Juventus in an all-action final that saw six goals and was settled in extra time.
The Nerazzurri took an early lead thanks to Nicolo Barella, but goals from Alex Sandro and Dusan Vlahovic just after halftime turned the game around. Hakan Calhanoglu scored a late penalty to force extra time, then Ivan Perisic added another penalty and then a screamer in the extra period to ensure Milan would take the trophy.
When Barella cut in from the left and fired a curling effort towards the far corner with only a few minutes on the clock, Mattia Perin could only watch it go past him for the opener of the exciting final.
Juventus did not get into a rhythm until the middle of the first half. However, Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic had to step in multiple times to keep his club in front.
After creating an opportunity with his fast feet, Paulo Dybala fired at the Slovenian, who saved well and followed it with a superb parry to turn a ferocious Vlahovic effort behind for a corner. Handanovic tipped over from Matthijs de Ligt and Dybala shot wide as Juve increased their pressure.
Inter rallied in the last minutes of the first half, especially when Perisic progressed through the gears. Both Calhanoglu and Marcelo Brozovic had chances, and Alex Sandro did just enough to prevent Edin Dzeko from connecting with a Perisic cross.
Early in the second half, Vlahovic went down in the penalty area under pressure from Stefan de Vrij, but neither the referee nor the VAR were interested in the protests.
Juve had their swift double in no time. Sandro drove the ball goalward and Morata flicked a boot at it to send the ball into the net. As a result, there was a little confusion as to who should be credited for it but the touch was enough to distract Handanovic, who should have done much better.
Then, with Inter hardly able to catch their breath, a quick counter attack involving Morata, Federico Bernardeschi, and Dybala put Vlahovic through. Handanovic saved his initial shot, but the Juve striker was swift enough to convert the rebound.
Perin was called into action almost immediately on the opposite end, parrying a bouncing attempt from unexpected shooter Matteo Darmian. Simone Inzaghi quickly brought a trio of substitutes before Federico Dimarco came agonisingly close to restoring parity.
Leonardo Bonucci, who had been brought in to safeguard the lead, was careless when he grabbed Lautaro Martinez. De Ligt was also involved. With 10 minutes remaining in normal time, the Argentine tumbled down for a penalty. Calhanoglu smashed the resulting spot-kick into the top corner.
Inter’s triumph in extra time added to the drama. When De Vrij was hauled down under De Ligt’s charge, penalty requests were first ignored, but after a late VAR review, referee Paolo Valeri pointed to the spot. Calhanoglu had already been replaced, but Perisic came in and easily matched his teammate’s previous goal from the spot.
Perisic kept the greatest goal of the final for last, darting in from the left and hitting an even fiercer attempt than Barella’s opening into the same corner to win it for Inter.
They will celebrate their victory, but they must move on swiftly this weekend if they are to retain their Serie A title. On Sunday, they travel to Cagliari for a critical match, knowing that a loss would kill their chances of winning the Scudetto. Juve’s next match is against Lazio at home on Monday.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
