Lazio 0-2 Inter Milan: Error-Prone Aquile Suffer Coppa Italia Heartbreak | OneFootball

Lazio came short in the Coppa Italia final, paying the price for a couple of avoidable blunders against a superior Inter Milan side.

Lazio & Inter Starting Lineups

Tijjani Noslin spearheaded Maurizio Sarri’s 4-3-3 lineup, flanked by Gustav Isaksen and Mattia Zaccagni. A. In midfield, Patric acted as a Regista, operating between Toma Basic and Kenneth Taylor, while Adam Marusic, Mario Gila, Alessio Romagnoli, and Nuno Tavares formed the backline in front of Edoardo Motta.

On the other hand, Cristian Chivu started with Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram upfront. Federico Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries occupied the wing-back slots. Petar Sucic acted as the deep-lying playmaker in the absence of the injured Hakan Calhanoglu, with Nicolo Barella and Piotr Zielinski completing the midfield. Yann Bisseck, Manuel Akanji, and Alessandro Bastoni played at the back.

Adam Marusic Scores Own Goal

Similar to Saturday’s dress rehearsal, Inter dominated possession from the outset while Lazio sat back in the hopes of harrying their opponents on the counter. The first chance of the match came when Barella’s cross from the right found Lautaro, but the captain’s header went wide off the mark.

Nevertheless, it didn’t take the Nerazzurri too much time to find the opener, with a little help from the Aquile. Dimarco sent a corner kick to the near post. Thuram tried to meet it with a towering header, but it only grazed his head. And yet, the slight deflection was enough to disrupt Marusic, who headed it past his own goalkeeper.

Nuno Tavares Gifts Inter a Second Goal

The Italian champions kept pushing for a second, with Dimarco creating the danger once more. The Italian wing-back sent a cross to the back post, and Dumfries took it on the volley, but Tavares stood firm to block it.

However, the Portuguese left-back ended up gifting Inter a second goal in the 35th minute, when he allowed Dumfries to easily pick his pocket in a dangerous area. The Dutchman then sent a square ball towards the mouth of the goal. Motta tried to get across to block it, but couldn’t parry it away, allowing Martinez to score the simplest of tap-ins.

On the other hand, Lazio had to wait until the 45th minute to produce their first real chance of the match. Isaksen found himself in a dangerous position inside the box, but his attempt went begging after taking a slight deflection off Bastoni’s foot.

The Score Remains Intact in Second Half

After the break, Lazio instantly improved following the introduction of Nicolo Rovella, but they still weren’t able to forge too many chances. Noslin’s close-range attempt whistled past the post, while Boulaye Dia squandered an opportunity after finding himself one-on-one with Josep Martinez. The Senegalese’s shot hit the Inter goalkeeper in the face after an awkward touch.

The Nerazzurri also had chances to extend their lead, but Luis Henrique couldn’t connect well with Dimarco’s cross, and Zielinski uncharacteristically failed to hit the target from a promising position.

In the end, Inter rounded off a memorable season by completing their first domestic double since 2010, while Lazio ended their troublesome campaign empty-handed, failing to qualify for Europe for the second year in a row.

Lazio 0-2 Inter Milan

Goalscorers: Marusic (OG, I), 35` Lautaro Martinez (I)

Lazio(4-3-3): Motta; Marusic (72` Lazzari), Gila, Romagnoli, Nuno Tavares; Basic (78` Pedro), Patric (46` Rovella), Taylor; Isaksen (66` Cancellieri), Noslin, Zaccagni (72` Dia).

Inter (3-5-2): Martinez; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni (77` Carlo Augusto); Dumfries (68` Luis Enrique), Barella, Zielinski, Sucic (68` Mkhitaryan), Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez (77` Bonny), Thuram (82` Diouf).

Referee: Marco Guida (Torre Annunziata section).

Yellow cards: 6` Bisseck (I), 16` Bastoni (I), 38` Gila (L), 84` Pedro (L), 85` Dimarco (I), 85` Zaccagni (L).