Bologna ended a 51-year expectation for a major trophy on Thursday after winning the Italian cup with a 1-0 victory against AC Milan, which collapsed for another painful defeat in a horror season. Dan Ndoye scored the goal in the 53rd minute, which gave Bologna a historic victory, their first honor since the last place of the Cup in 1974. Bologna had not even been in a final of the major tournament since the last victory of the Italian Cup – the second of their two triumphs of the domestic cup. But coach Vincenzo Italiano has done a brilliant job since his arrival to replace Thiago Motta in Bologna, who won the Italian championship seven times but did it for the last time in 1964.
Wednesday’s victory was also the first major honor of Italiano as a coach when he lost three finals with his previous Fiorentina club, including the 2023 Italian Cup final.
Italiano was held in the air by his jubilant players while Bologna fans danced and cried in Stadio Olimpico after seeing what many thought they would never see.
Milan was crowned European champion the same season when they won the Cup for the last time in 2003, a different period for a club formerly held by the former Italian Prime Minister deceased Silvio Berlusconi.
The rivals of Inter Milan are in the final of the Champions League and try to keep their title of Serie A while Milan is in combat to qualify for Europe after having missed the cup.
Sergio Concepico’s team is seated eighth in Serie A, three points behind Roma which is seated in the Spot of the conference league and welcomes Milan on Sunday.
Triumph of Bologna
Santiago Castro had the first chance of the game for Bologna in the eighth minute, but failed to have enough on a vicious inspired free kick to divert him before Mike Maignan, who was already committed in the goal of Milan.
Bologna survived a huge fear a few moments later, that Alex Jimenez went down to the right and broke into a low cross that Sam Beukema diverted directly to his goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski, who then was lucky for Luka Jovic to break the rebound just in her throat.
The match became a more tense affair after that, and it was only by the winner of Ndoye that one or the other of the teams had another opportunity, the striker in Switzerland sparkled and was unleashed after Riccardo Orsolini was approached in the penalty area by Theo Hernandez.
Milan was returning specialists this season, especially when threshing Bologna 3-1 in the League last weekend.
But they brought together only a other chance of noting in the 71st minute, when the terrible tament of the replacement for Santiago Gimenez effectively succeeded in Hernandez’s crossing in Skorupski.
Bologna has succeeded, if it is somewhat clumsy, hacked Milan’s lameness tries to attack, and collapsed on the ground in exhaustion once referee Maurizio Mariani whistled.
(This story has not been published by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a unionized flow.)
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