Primavera: the Nerazzurri beat Sassuolo on penalties and soar into the Championship final!

Heart, character and coolness: Inter deservedly earned their spot in the 2024/25 Primavera 1 Final. In Sassuolo, the Nerazzurri won an intense and vibrant semi-final, decided on penalties after it finished 1-1 in normal time. Zanchetta's side were impeccable fom the spot and thanks to Calligaris' standout save, we are flying into the grand final. The date and time of the game: Friday 30 May at 20:30 CEST against Fiorentina. The game started at a high tempo: Inter immediately imposed themselves through De Pieri whose header in the 15th minute resulted in a corner. It was an open game, with chances for both sides: Minta was dangerous on the counter but he was stopped by Calligaris and then by Aidoo. In the 18th minute, Sassuolo got in front due to an error in the build-up by Re Cecconi: Minta made the most of it, finishing past Calligaris to make it 0-1. The Nerazzurri tried to react through Zanchetta and Spinaccè, but in the 43rd minute, our biggest chance came: Berenbruch fired in a powerful left-footed strike from distance but it came crashing off Scacchetti's left post. In the 45th minute, the referee added two minutes, but the result didn't change: Inter were one down at the break. In the second half, Inter took to the field with determination and in the 53rd minute, they found a deserved equaliser: Cocchi's perfect cross from the left found the head of Alexiou, who made it 1-1 and swung the momentum Inter's way. Zanchetta's boys continued to push: in the 63rd minute Cocchi fired in a powerful effort that struck the bar. Knezovic had a header in the 69th minute, but it was off target. Cocchi was at it again in the 75th minute, but his effort missed the target. The Nerazzurri kept working hard right until the end, but they couldn't find a winner. After three minutes of stoppage time, the score remained 1-1 and so we were heading to penalties.

Inter kept their cool and stayed focused from the spot. Berenbruch opened our account by cooly dispatching, as did Bovo and De Piere, who beat the keeper and put Inter ahead. Lavelli scored the fourth penalty with great personality. Then came the key moment: Calligaris jumped into action and saved Parlato's penalty. Zarate Higaldo then sealed our win with an impeccable strike. Inter win 6-4 on pens and soar into the final.

INTER 1-1 SASSUOLO (6-4 PENS.) | OVERVIEW

Goals: 18' Minta (S), 53' Alexiou (I).

Penalty shootout: Berenbruch (I) goal, Knezovic (S) goal, Bovo (I) goal, Daldum (S) goal, De Pieri (I) goal, Lopes (S) goal, Lavelli (I) goal, Parlato (B) saved, Zarate Hidalgo (I) goal. INTER (4-3-3): 1 Calligaris; 2 Aidoo, 24 Re Cecconi, 5 Alexiou, 3 Cocchi (17 Motta 83'); 29 Topalovic (8 Zarate Hidalgo 83'), 4 Zanchetta (14 Bovo 76'), 7 Berenbruch; 30 De Pieri, 11 Spinaccé (9 Lavelli 76'), 18 Mosconi (25 Zouin 34'). Bench: 21 Zamarian, 6 Mayè, 16 Venturini, 19 Della Mora, 26 Garonetti, 27 Pinotti. Manager: Andrea Zanchetta

SASSUOLO (4-3-2-1): 1 Scacchetti, 99 Parlato, 5 Di Bitonto, 64 Corradini, 76 Barani (3 Benvenuti T. 79'); 15 Weiss (8 Seminari 87'), 18 Lopes, 10 Leone; 7 Knezovic, 21 Bruno (13 Daldum 46'); 36 Minta (90 Vedovati 87'). Bench: 75 Vigano, 2 Benvenuti G, 4 Macchioni, 9 Moriano, 11 Sandro, 23 Tomsa, 80 Frangela. Manager: Emiliano Bigica.

Cautions: Parlato (S), Leone (S), Zanchetta (I). Referee: Gavini Assistants: Spataro, Marucci Fourth official: Dini

The Nerazzurri secured their spot in the grand final on Friday 30 May against Fiorentina