After champions SSC Napoli qualified for the Supercoppa final on Thursday, cup winners Bologna followed suit. The Rosoblu came from behind against Inter, withstood constant pressure and ultimately won 3-2 in a bizarre penalty shootout.
Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano responded to the 0-1 defeat against Juventus Turin with four changes: Holm, Odgaard, Bernardeschi, and Castro replaced Zortea, Ferguson, Cambiaghi, and Dallinga. At Inter, coach Cristian Chivu brought in half a dozen new players after the 2-1 win at CFC Genoa 1893: Josep Martinez (goalkeeper), de Vrij, Mkhitaryan, Dimcarco, Bonny, and Thuram played in place of Sommer (goalkeeper), Akanji, Sucic, Carlos Augusto, Lautaro Martinez, and Esposito. Despite the revamped squad, the Nerazzurri got off to a dream start, winning the ball against an advanced Bologna after just a few seconds: Bastoni broke through on the left and crossed brilliantly to Thuram, who scored with a superb volley at the far post to make it 1-0 after just 70 seconds.
Lightning start and unlucky players
With a 1-0 lead behind them, Inter shifted to a counterattacking game and left the ball to the Rosoblu, who found their way into the game better after about ten minutes, gained control of the ball and came close to equalizing in the 22nd minute: Bernardeschi, however, failed to beat goalkeeper Martinez.
True to the motto “postponed is not canceled,” Bologna managed to equalize in the first half, partly because they had the necessary bit of luck. A high pass fell unluckily on Bisseck’s right arm, prompting referee Daniele Chiffi to award a penalty after consulting VAR. Orsolini confidently converted the penalty with his left foot high into the center (35).
Inter shows a different side
There were no further goals in the first half, but Bernardeschi fell awkwardly on his left shoulder and had to be replaced by Rowe due to injury (40). There were no further substitutions at the restart, but Milan showed a different side to their game. Whereas the Nerazzurri had been too passive in the first half, there was no sign of that now: Inter pressed much earlier, increased the intensity and put Bologna under enormous pressure, with the Rosoblu barely able to get out of their own half during this phase.
It seemed only a matter of time before a goal would come, but Luis Henrique (54′) and Dimarco (56′) were denied by Ravaglia, while a penalty awarded to Bonny was reversed by referee Chiffi after a VAR check (57′). The score remained 1-1. The Milanese were very active, but struggled with the final pass. This was also due to the fact that Bologna now had six to seven players in and around their own penalty area, narrowing the space.
Penalty shootout decides the game
Chivu brought on star striker Lautaro Martinez in the 71st minute, who fired in a powerful shot shortly afterwards that was saved by Ravaglia (80th minute), before Bastoni (81st minute), Dimarco (82nd minute) and de Vri (85th minute) all missed by a narrow margin. Because Rowe was blocked at the other end (88) and Martinez made a brilliant save against Fabbian (90+1), the score remained 1-1 after 90 minutes, meaning the game had to be decided on penalties, as there is no extra time in the Supercoppa.
This then took a curious turn and could be described as “copy and paste,” because whatever Inter did, Bologna did too: Lautaro and Ferguson converted first, while Bastoni and Mori shot too weakly and were denied by the opposing goalkeeper, before Barella and then Miranda sent the ball into the top corner. However, after Bonny’s rolling ball landed in Ravaglia’s arms, Rowe broke ranks. It was the Englishman, of all people, who converted confidently and put the Rosoblu on course for the final.
De Vrij kept Inter’s hopes alive by scoring the equalizer to make it 2-2 with the help of the crossbar, but Immobile literally hammered the final nail in Inter’s coffin by scoring with a powerful shot into the right corner, also with the help of the crossbar. In Monday’s final, Bologna will now face Napoli, who beat Milan 2-0 in Thursday’s first semifinal. In Serie A, both teams will not play again until after Christmas, on Sunday, December 28: Napoli will face Cremonese at 3 p.m., while Milan will host Hellas Verona at 12:30 p.m.
