Como will face Inter in the Coppa Italia semifinal. At the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, the Como team eliminated Napoli after a lengthy penalty shootout, ending 7-6 after a 1-1 draw in regulation time. Butez's decisive save on Lobotka's final spot kick ended the Azzurri's dream and gave Fabregas' team a historic achievement.
The match had been deadlocked for long stretches, with both teams more concerned with keeping their opponents out of the way than with striking. The deadlock was shattered by an incident in the 36th minute, when Smolcic went down in the penalty area after a collision with Olivera. Referee Manganiello pointed to the spot, and Baturina made no mistake, calmly scoring the score to 0-1. Toward the end of the half, Napoli protested for a challenge on Hojlund on the edge of the penalty area, but the referee let it go.
The start of the second half changed the tone of the match. After just one minute, Vergara, set up by Hojlund, beat Butez with a precise diagonal shot to make it 1-1. Tempers flared again around Ramon, who was pardoned for a foul on Hojlund that could have earned him a second yellow, amid protests from the Napoli bench. Both teams looked for the decisive blow in the closing stages, with Vojvoda coming close to scoring for Como and Milinkovic decisive in keeping Napoli in the game.
From the penalty spot, the match became a marathon. After a long series of converted penalties and a few errors on both sides, the final act rewarded Como: Butez saw Lobotka's shot and saved the shot that would have secured qualification. The Biancoblù thus advance to the semifinals, where they will face Inter in a double-header that promises to be a thrilling affair.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
The match was really intense, and I saw the referee make some strange decisions. Como played well, but Napoli could have done better. The final penalty was decisive, but everyone knew it would be a tough match.