Comeback falls short as Inter are eliminated from the Coppa Italia, Roma reach the final

Inter Women's Coppa Italia journey ends just short of the final. The Nerazzurre played well and fought against Roma for the full 90 minutes played at the Arena Civica, but the Giallorosse capitalised on the few chances they had in the first had with goals from Giugliano and Viens. In the second half, Inter pushed forward, testing Lukasova repeatedly who held on until a powerful free kick from Vilhjalmsdottir beat her. In stoppage time however, Inter were unable to find the equaliser and Roma held on. The 2-1 win at the Arena, combined with the 1-1 draw in the first leg, sends the Giallorosse through to the Coppa Italia final.

Inter got off to a good start and tried to take control of the game in the early stages of the game. The first chance of the game came in the 7th minute for the Nerazzurre. Magull played a long ball to Detruyer, but the midfielder was closed down by Lukasova, who came off her line to cover the goal and deflect the Belgian’s attempt for a corner. Roma remained compact, only threatening Runarsdottir with a couple of corners, which the Inter defence dealt with comfortably. The match was intense and competitive, but Inter looked the more dangerous side overall. In the 25th minute, Glionna delivered a free kick into the box, but Detruyer couldn’t make proper contact with the ball. Just as Inter were building momentum, Roma struck first: Dragoni won the ball in a dangerous area, drove into the box, and laid it off to the oncoming Giugliano, who fired a superb shot from the edge of the area. The ball hit the crossbar and went in for the 1-0. It was an unstoppable strike for Runarsdottir. Five minutes later, Viens made a run into the box after a move by Giugliano, but her shot went wide. Inter responded with a cross from Tomaselli, punched away by Lukasova, and then with a low cross from Schough, which Polli met with a close-range sliding attempt but Lukasova reacted instinctively to make the save. Inter kept pressing, but Roma doubled their lead through Viens: Dragoni threaded a through ball, and the forward calmly finished past Runarsdottir to make it 2-0. In the 43rd minute, Polli had a chance with a header from a free kick but Lukasova was alert and saved it.

The second half began with Piovani bringing on Vilhjalmsdottir and Bugeja to stay in the game. Inter went on the attack but almost conceded a third on a counter managed by Bergamaschi, stopped in the box by Milinkovic. In the 48th minute, Inter went close twice: first, Polli headed a threatening ball into the box, only for Oladipo to clear it off the line, then Polli went for another header, but the ball sailed just over the bar. Roma remained alert and continued on the counterattack. In the 53rd minute, Dragoni cut into the box and earned a corner after Milinkovic deflected her cross. From the corner, Giugliano attempted a long-range shot, but Runarsdottir saved comfortably. Four minutes later, Bugeja had a huge chance: Magull released her, she exploited a mistake from Oladipo, and found herself one-on-one with Lukasova. Her left-footed shot appeared to be deflected by the keeper and Thogersen before striking the post with Lukasova beaten. In the 63rd minute, Lukasova mishandled a corner, leaving her goal open. A frantic scramble in the box came to nothing, and Roma quickly launched a counter: Haavi cut in from the left and fired, but the ball deflected wide. As the game entered its final stages, Inter brought on fresh legs - Paz, Tomasevic, and Robustellini but they struggled to create clear chances. In the 80th minute, Roma wasted an opportunity when Bergamaschi mis-hit a shot in the box, turning it into a half-attempted shot/pass. Six minutes later, Milinkovic tried a turn shot in the area, only for Lukasova to make another save. In the 90th minute, Inter pulled one back with an extraordinary free-kick from Vilhjalmsdottir, who unleashed a thunderous strike from distance. The goal gave Inter hope of a dramatic finish, as everyone pushed forward in search of an equaliser. However, Roma managed the game well, and they got through the five minutes of added time. The match ended 2-1 at the Arena Civica, eliminating Inter from the Coppa Italia and sending Roma through to the final.

INTER 1-2 ROMA | SCORESHEET

Goals: 27' Giugliano (R), 39' Viens (R), 90' Vilhjalmsdottir (I)

INTER (3-5-2): 1 Rúnarsdottir; 33 Bartoli, 24 Milinkovic, 5 Andrés; 18 Glionna (8 Vilhjalmsdottir 46'), 21 Tomaselli (7 Bugeja 46'), 27 Csiszar (16 Tomasevic 64'), 20 Detruyer, 22 Schough (14 Robustellini 74'); 9 Polli (19 Paz 64'), 10 Magull. Substitutes: 23 Ivarsdottir, 34 Ferraro, 3 Bowen, 4 Pleidrup, 6 Santi, 13 Merlo, 30 Romanelli. Coach: Gianpiero Piovani

ROMA (4-3-3): 1 Lukasova; 25 Thogersen, 5 Antoine, 19 Oladipo, 23 Bergamaschi; 10 Giugliano (16 Corelli 78'), 8 Csiki, 20 Greggi; 15 Dragoni, 7 Viens (4 Heatley 78'), 11 Haavi (9 Dorsin 68') Substitutes: 24 Baldi, 36 Soggiu, 2 Veje, 6 Valdezate, 17 Pilgrim, 22 Pandini, 30 Babajide, 47 Galli, 57 Testa. Coach: Luca Rossettini

Yellow cards: Tomaselli (I), Magull (I)

Added time: 2' - 5'

Referee: Colaninno Assistants: Tesi - Storgato Fourth Official: Iorfida