Inter Milan defeated Juventus 4-2 in extra time to lift the Coppa Italia for the 8th time in their history. Victory in the 259th Derby d’Italia ensured that fierce rivals Juventus would end the season trophyless for the first time since the 2010/11 season. Inter Milan got off to a flying start, taking the lead inside seven minutes. Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s corner was cleared by the Bianconeri, but the loose ball ended up at the feet of Nicolò Barella on the left wing, and the midfielder then cut inside before unleashing an unstoppable effort on goal, which left Mattia Perin statuesque.It took until midway through the half for Juventus to grow into the game, and once they did, they created several chances in quick succession. Paulo Dybala began to pull the strings behind Dušan Vlahović, and both had great chances to equalise but Samir Handanović was equal to everything coming towards his goal, as Inter closed out the half with their lead intact.Juventus came flying out of the traps in the second half and piled the pressure on Inter right from the start, turning the tie on its head with two goals in two minutes. A loose ball on the edge of the box was drilled in by Alex Sandro for the equaliser. Then a minute of madness saw an Inter corner kick quickly cleared by the Juventus defence, and suddenly Vlahović was through on goal after being played in by Dybala. The Serbian’s initial shot was saved by Handanović, but Vlahović made no mistake the second time round to give the Bianconeri the lead, leaving the Inter players shellshocked.Simone Inzaghi, too, was shellshocked by what he saw from his side, and immediately turned to his bench, making a triple substitution to try and get a foothold back in the match. The changes proved effective as his side dominated whilst Juventus began to sit back, trying to hold onto the one-goal lead. The Nerazzurri were handed a lifeline with 10 minutes to go as Lautaro Martínez was fouled in the box, and up stepped Çalhanoğlu, who emphatically smashed his penalty into the top corner. With neither side able to find a winner in 90 minutes, extra time was needed to separate them.For the second time in the contest, Inter were awarded a penalty. This time, Ivan Perišić stepped up to power his spot-kick in and give Inter the lead. An exquisite touch and volley in the 102nd minute from Perišić wrapped up the victory, ending Inter’s 11-year wait for success in the Coppa Italia. Massimiliano Allegri was then sent off to pile further misery on Juventus’ night, and the season as a whole.Now the Milanese black-and-blues turn their full focus to the Serie A race, where they need to fight it out against the town rivals AC Milan hold two points more at the top of the table, with two more games for each of the teams. COPPA ITALIA – FINALWednesdayJuventus – Inter 2-4 (0-1) AET/Alex Sandro 50, Vlahovic 53 – Barella 7, Calhanoglu 80 pen, Perisic 98 pen, 102/©FlashScore
