MY ACCOUNT
Ivan Perisic’s double secured Coppa Italia glory for Inter as they came from 2-1 down to beat Juventus 4-2 after extra time at the Stadio Olimpico.
Nicolo Barella’s sensational 10th-minute opener appeared to have put Inter on course to repeat their Supercoppa Italiana triumph over Juve in January.
But two goals in the space of just over two second-half minutes from Alex Sandro, aided by Alvaro Morata, and Dusan Vlahovic turned the tide in Juve’s favour.
There was a twist in the tale late in normal time, though, Hakan Calhanoglu netting from the spot to send the game to an extra half-hour, in which Perisic also converted from 12 yards and then sealed victory with a fine half-volley. Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri was sent off for a touchline row with the Inter bench soon after.
Barella broke the deadlock in stunning fashion as he cut in from the left and unleashed an unstoppable long-range strike into the top-right corner.
Juve’s response was impressive, Samir Handanovic forced into action to deny Paulo Dybala and then producing a superb save to turn Vlahovic’s near-post effort behind.
Handanovic tipped Matthijs de Ligt’s header over the crossbar on the half-hour mark, with Dybala then firing narrowly wide of the left-hand post.
But Juve’s persistence was rewarded five minutes after the restart as Handanovic gifted them an equaliser.
Morata seemingly got a slight deflection on Alex Sandro’s drive from the edge of the area, which Handanovic allowed to squirm through.
Juve’s comeback was completed two minutes later as Inter were caught cold by a rapid counter.
Dybala threaded a perfectly weighted pass through to Vlahovic, who showed the composure to drop his shoulder and unseat the chasing Danilo D’Ambrosio before hitting home on the rebound after his initial effort hit Handanovic in the face.
Matteo Darmian drew a save from Mattia Perin but Inter did not look like forcing extra-time until Leonardo Bonucci was adjudged to have brought down Lautaro Martinez in the 78th minute.
Calhanoglu emphatically levelled, sending an excellent penalty in the top-right corner, and Perisic found the other corner with his spot-kick nine minutes into extra time after a VAR review into De Ligt’s challenge on countryman Stefan de Vrij.
Perisic gave Inter breathing room in style, rendering Perin helpless with a sumptuous half-volley to cap an absorbing final.
What does it mean? Inter still have hope for double, Juve trophy-less
Two points behind leaders Milan with as many games to go, Inter’s dramatic win here means they can still dream of winning Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the same season since they did the treble under Jose Mourinho in 2009-10.
Juventus, meanwhile, will end the season without a trophy. That has not happened since 2010-11 under Luigi Delneri and is a sign of the clear shift in balance of power in Italian domestic football, which they dominated during the previous decade.
Inter complete rare hat-trick
Victory for Inter sees them lift the Coppa Italia for the eighth time, while they have become only the third side to beat Juve three times in a season after Fiorentina in 1940-41 and Lazio in 1942-43.
Juve pay the penalty
Juve’s lack of composure in their own box cost them dear, with Inter the first team to score two penalties in a Coppa Italia final (excluding shoot-outs) since Sampdoria did so against Ancona in 1994.
Key Opta Facts:
– Inter have won their eight Coppa Italia trophy, overtaking Lazio (seven) – only Juventus (14) and AS Roma (nine) have had more than the Nerazzurri.
– Barella has become the first Italian player to score for Inter in a Coppa Italia Final since Alessandro Altobelli, in the 1981-82 second-leg final against Torino.
– Perisic is the fourth player to have scored a brace for Inter in a Coppa Italia final after Adriano (2005 v Roma), Hernan Crespo (2007 v Roma) and Samuel Eto’o (2011 v Palermo).
– Inter have just become the third side able to defeat Juventus three times in a single season, among all competitions, after Fiorentina in 1940-41 and Lazio in 1942-43.
– The Nerazzurri have won three successive matches in all competitions against Juventus for the first time since 1929-30.
What’s next?
Inter will look to keep their title defence alive with a win at Cagliari on Sunday. Juventus host Lazio a day later.
