On Wednesday night, the Stadio Olimpico in Roma played host for Calcio’s ultimate rivalry, as Juventus and Inter clashed heads in the final of the Coppa Italia. The Nerazzurri took the lead in the first half, but the Bianconeri turned the result upside-down at the start of the second period. But in another twist, the reigning Italian champions equalized the score to take the match to extra-time, and the battle was settled by a brace from Ivan Perisic.
Max Allegri started in a 4-2-3-1 lineup spearheaded by Dusan Vlahovic. The Serbian was supported by the trio of Juan Cuadrado, Paulo Dybala and Federico Bernardeschi, while Adrien Rabiot and Denis Zakaria took the double pivot roles.
Reminiscent to all other domestic cup fixtures, Mattia Perin started between the sticks instead of Wojciech Szczesny. Giorgio Chiellini led the backline in what could possibly be his last major hurrah in the famous black and white jersey. Danilo, Matthijs de Ligt and Alex Sandro joined him at the back.
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— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) May 11, 2022
On the other hand, Simone Inzaghi maintained his tried and trusted 3-5-2 lineup, led by the striking duo of Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez. In midfield, Marcelo Brozovic took the reins, supported by Nicolò Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu.
On the wings, Matteo Darmian got the nod ahead of Denzel Dumfries, with Ivan Persic on the opposite flank. Danilo D’Ambrosio joined Milan Skriniar and Stefan de Vrij at the back, while Samir Handanovic guarded the goal.
The water-testing period didn’t last for long, as Barella managed to break the deadlock for the Italian champions. The Inter midfielder tried his luck from the edge of the box, and his shot somehow cut through a crowd of Juventus players, landing in the far corner of the stranded Perin.
After twenty poor minutes, the Bianconeri finally came to life. Allegri’s men picked up a loose ball in the middle of the park, and Dybala found Vlahovic in the box. The Serbian tried his luck from a tight angle but Handanovic denied him with a splendid save.
The Old Lady’s resurgence continued with a string of dangerous chances. However, Handanovic pulled off two successive saves on Bernaderschi’s deflected shot and de Ligt’s header, while Dybala’s volley whistled past the post. Nonetheless, the Nerazzurri managed to weather the storm, ending the first half with a one-goal lead.
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Simone Inzaghi's starting 1️⃣1️⃣ for #JuventusInter ?
Powered by @EASPORTSFIFA#CoppaItaliaFrecciarossa #FORZAINTER ⚫️? pic.twitter.com/Fd2b8JFAGQ
— Inter ??? (@Inter_en) May 11, 2022
The second half started with a flurry of Juventus chances, and the title holders grabbed the equalizer at the 50th minute. Sandro pounced on a loose ball and directed his shot towards goal. The ball took a marginal deflection off Morata, but it was just enough to wrong-foot Handanovic.
Two minutes later, Juventus turned the result upside-down. Morata launched a swift counter attack and Dybala’s splendid through ball put Vlahovic clear on goal. The Serbian’s dribble left D’Ambrosio on the ground but the shot hit the suicidal Handonovic in the face. Nevertheless, the former Fiorentina bomber pounced on the rebound to put the Old Lady in the lead in a stunning turn of events.
After a negative period, Inzaghi’s substitutions revived the Beneamata who were on the attack once again. After pressing hard for a goal, the referee awarded them a penalty kick following Leonardo Bonucci’s challenge on Lautaro. Perin guessed it right, but Calhanoglu’s shot was too strong and high.
The final ten minutes of normal time saw little action, and neither side was able to tip the scale in its favor. Therefore, the match headed to extra-time on the back of a 2-2 draw.
In another twist, Inter took the lead once again thanks to another spot kick. De Ligt tripped his compatriot de Vrij inside the box and Perisic converted it in a fabulous fashion. Few minutes later, Perisic doomed Juventus with a stunning strike to put the Nerazzurri on the cusp of triumph.
Juventus had another 20 minutes to salvage the result, but were unable to produce anything noteworthy against the solid Inter defenses.
At the end of the day, the Beneamata celebrated their first Coppa Italia triumph since 2011 on the back of an epic back-and-forth battle, and they can now shift their focus back to the thrilling Scudetto race against their crosstown rivals Milan.
IT'S THE INTER SHOW ? ⚫️?@Inter_en win the #CoppaItaliaFrecciarossa ???#JuveInter #WeAreCalcio pic.twitter.com/hWLqfOG6HA
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) May 11, 2022