AC Milan will take on Bologna in the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday night, and for both teams it could be a season-defining game.
The fixture list presented us with an appetiser on Friday and Milan landed the first punch against Bologna in what is a double challenge over five days. The Rossoneri came from 1-0 down – as they so often have under Sergio Conceicao – and eventually emerged 3-1 winners.
After a cagey first half that resembled a training session more than a Serie A six-pointer, the game burst into life after the break with Riccardo Orsolini opening the scoring. Santiago Gimenez came off the bench and scored twice, either side of Christian Pulisic putting Milan ahead.
Now, all attention turns to the capital and to the Olimpico, where Milan and Bologna will walk out alongside each other again but this time with silverware on the line. With that comes plenty of narrative.
A dish best served hot
The saying ‘revenge is a dish best served cold’ means that taking revenge is most satisfying when it’s done deliberately and after a period of time, rather than impulsively. However, Bologna are hoping that it is in fact piping hot and sweet.
Orsolini, who scored the opener at San Siro a few nights ago, certainly made it clear that he and his team-mates feel disappointment that Milan were able to deal their Champions League ambitions a major blow.
“We were ahead and we thought we could control it, Milan didn’t give the impression of wanting to attack, we gave them the spark that rekindled them and we got sliced through like butter. If we play like that in Rome we’ll get slapped. We’ve understood what we shouldn’t do,” he told Corriere della Sera.
On the other side, Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao are returning to the scene of the crime in some ways. Back in September, when Paulo Fonseca was still the head coach, the cooling break saga ended up going viral during a 2-2 draw at the Olimpico.
During a water break whole team had approached the bench to listen to the coach’s words but Theo and Leao remained on the other side of the pitch. The two want revenge after what happened a few months ago, and they want to lift their third trophy since joining the club.
Droughts to end
It’s been seven years since the Rossoneri reached the final of the competition, and 22 years since they won it. On the last two occasions Milan were beaten by their rivals Juventus, and this time there was no possibility of playing the Bianconeri given they were knocked out by Empoli in the quarter-finals.
The last time that the Diavolo celebrated winning the domestic cup, Rome was again involved, or more specifically Roma. Back then the final took place over two legs, and after Milan won 4-1 in the first leg away from home they basically had the trophy in their pocket.
Bologna will face Milan in their first Coppa Italia final for 51 years, after a 2-1 second leg win over Empoli meant a 5-1 aggregate triumph in the semi-final. Giovanni Fabiana and Thijs Dallinga scored at the Stadio Renato dall’Ara, either side of Viktor Kovalenko’s equaliser.
When the Rossoblu won it in 1973-74 they had to go through Milan but in the group stages, taking four points from them to finish atop the group. They would eventually go on to beat Palermo on penalties at the Olimpico, after a 90th-minute spot kick had got them there.
