Inter Milan completed their third domestic double on Wednesday night with a decisive 2-0 victory over Lazio in the Coppa Italia final. The match, played at Lazio's home venue, the Stadio Olimpico, was effectively decided within the first 35 minutes.
Early Dominance Seals the Win
The opening goal came in the 14th minute when Federico Dimarco's corner was headed into his own net by Lazio's Adam Marusic. Just over 20 minutes later, Denzel Dumfries capitalized on a lapse in concentration from Lazio left-back Nuno Tavares, stealing the ball and squaring it for Lautaro Martinez to score at the back post. Martinez's goal was his 17th in Serie A this season, making him the league's top scorer despite injuries limiting him to 25 starts.
Lazio struggled to mount a comeback. Gustav Isaksen fired a half-chance wide just before halftime, and Tijjani Noslin missed a better opportunity from close range as the game approached the hour mark. Lazio's best chance came in the 75th minute when substitute Boulaye Dia got behind Manuel Akanji, but the ball bounced awkwardly, and his shot deflected off goalkeeper Josep Martinez's face.
A Mismatch from the Start
The gulf in quality was evident throughout. Inter had already thumped Lazio 3-0 at the same venue just four days earlier in a league match. Lazio's sporting director, Angelo Fabiani, admitted before kick-off: "We didn't expect to reach this final, to tell the truth." The Biancocelesti's season has been turbulent, with Maurizio Sarri returning to the club only to discover a transfer embargo that owner Claudio Lotito had concealed. In January, Lazio sold key players Taty Castellanos and Mateo Guéndouzi, though they did bring in promising midfielder Kenneth Taylor from Ajax.
Inter's superiority was built on better planning and recruitment. Marcus Thuram, whose pressure forced Marusic's own goal, is joint-second in Serie A scoring with 13 goals. Dimarco, who provided the corner, leads the league with 18 assists and is a strong candidate for MVP. Dumfries, despite a three-month injury layoff, has excelled since returning.
Chivu's Journey to Glory
Manager Cristian Chivu, who took over from Simone Inzaghi, has now joined Roberto Mancini and Jose Mourinho as the only managers to lead Inter to a domestic double. Unlike his predecessors, Chivu achieved this in his first season. He previously won the treble with Inter as a player in 2010 under Mourinho.
Chivu's path to success was not straightforward. After Inter's elimination from the Club World Cup last June, he held a meeting with players to address tensions. Martinez had publicly criticized teammates like Hakan Calhanoglu for leaving the training base early. "We laid things out clearly to one another," Chivu recalled. "I found a group of lads who were ready to put themselves at the team's disposal."
Chivu acknowledged the challenges, including his children reading negative press during a rocky start to the season. However, he also reflected on his long journey, having spent six years coaching Inter's academy before taking his first senior role at Parma. "It's been a lifetime that I have been out on football pitches," he said. "I started from the bottom, and I learned a thousand things that have served me along the way."
A Historic Achievement
Inter's Coppa Italia win is their 10th, putting them alongside Juventus (15 titles) as the only teams in double figures. Chivu's decision to stay out of the limelight after winning the Scudetto earlier this month was deliberate, as he said he had "lost my ego" after confronting a "matter of life and death"—a reference to the skull fracture he suffered while playing for Inter in 2010.
Despite the apparent ease of the final victory, Chivu emphasized the difficulty of the achievement. "Winning two trophies is never something to take for granted," he said. "It's never simple."
