Atalanta into Coppa Italia final after late surge against stubborn Fiorentina
Still serving out a touchline ban, Gian Piero Gasperini didn’t have to wait long for his trailing Atalanta side to draw level on aggregate, with Teun Koopmeiners drilling low into the far corner to open the second-leg scoring after just eight minutes.
Fiorentina were seeing more of the ball but it was the hosts who were producing the higher-quality chances, being denied a second goal just five minutes later when Gianluca Scamacca sent a rocket into the top corner following a foul in the build-up.
Chances kept coming La Dea’s way during the first period, as Koopmeiners forced a save from Pietro Terracciano on the turn and Charles De Ketelaere dragged an effort wide when other options were available.
La Viola ended the half with more shots and more possession, yet the hosts were good value for their second-leg lead, almost adding to it via Matteo Ruggeri, who miscued from a promising position.
With the tie all square at the break, Fiorentina were facing the prospect of yet another period of extra time – something they had successfully navigated in each previous round of the Coppa Italia this season. Determined to wrap up the tie in 90 minutes, Atalanta continued to look dangerous on the attack as Ruggeri guided Davide Zappacosta’s cross narrowly wide.
The momentum swung further in Atalanta’s favour in the 53rd minute when Nikola Milenkovic was dismissed for denying a goalscoring opportunity, bringing down Scamacca, who was bearing down on goal.
However, Lucas Martínez Quarta – brought on to sure things up after the red card – soon made a difference at the other end, getting on the end of Cristiano Biraghi’s set-piece delivery with a diving header to unexpectedly restore Fiorentina’s aggregate lead.
La Viola’s resistance lasted just seven minutes, and this time, Scamacca wouldn’t be denied his seventh goal in eight competitive matches, emphatically burying an acrobatic effort to restore parity in the tie. Vincenzo Italiano withstood a late barrage from their hosts but eventually suffered two decisive blows.
First, Ademola Lookman struck a low effort that was eventually allowed to stand following a tight offside call before Mario Pasalic hit Fiorentina on the counter-attack to make it 4-1 on the night and seal Atalanta’s place in the Coppa Italia final.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta)