Inter Milan wins the Italian Cup after beating Fiorentina
Inter defeated Fiorentina 2-1 in the final, thanks to a brace from Lautaro Martinez, securing their second consecutive Italian Cup victory.
Despite conceding an early goal, Inter demonstrated the resilience that led them to the Champions League final in 2023. Forward Lautaro Martinez shone with a double, leading his team to a come-from-behind 2-1 victory in the final on the evening of May 24th. Inter claimed their ninth Italian Cup, equalizing the record of AS Roma and trailing only Juventus.
Both Inter and Fiorentina were representatives of Italian football in two finals this season, with this being their first encounter. While Fiorentina will face West Ham in the Conference League final on June 7th, Inter will play against Manchester City in the Champions League final just three days later.
At the Olimpico Stadium in Rome, both teams fielded their strongest lineups to secure victory in the Italian Cup final, although coach Simone Inzaghi surprised everyone by choosing experienced goalkeeper Samir Handanovic instead of Andre Onana. This decision was unexpected since Onana is currently Inter’s number-one goalkeeper, while Handanovic has passed his peak years.
Fiorentina took the lead in the third minute through a counter-attack. Left midfielder Jonathan Ikone threaded the ball between two Inter defenders to Nicolas Gonzalez, who tapped it past Handanovic into the net. Vincenzo Italiano’s team started like a dream, reaching both finals in the season.
However, Inter, with their superior strength, quickly turned the tide with a brace from Lautaro Martinez. In the 29th minute, midfielder Marcelo Brozovic received the ball in the central area and had enough time to play a through pass for Martinez, who sprinted into the penalty area and scored with a low shot to equalize. The 1.95-meter tall center-back Nikola Milenkovic stood too deep and ruined Fiorentina’s offside trap in this situation, allowing Martinez to score his 100th goal for Inter.
The second goal was more to blame on Fiorentina’s defense, as Inter attacked effectively. From Nicolo Barella’s cross, Martinez rushed in to volley the ball into the net for his second goal, beating goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano.
Fiorentina missed two good opportunities to take the game to extra time when striker Luka Jovic headed wide in a favorable position, followed by Arthur Cabral’s shot being blocked by Matteo Darmian right on the goal line.
Fiorentina will have to give their all in the remaining final against West Ham, as they no longer have any targets in Serie A. Meanwhile, Inter still needs more points to secure a position in the top four before having a one-week break for the biggest club game of the season.
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