Bologna ended a 51-year wait for a major trophy on Wednesday after winning the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) with a 1-0 victory over AC Milan, which slumped to yet another painful defeat in a horror season.
Dan Ndoye scored the goal in the 53rd minute, which gave Bologna a historic victory, its first honour since last winning the cup in 1974.
Bologna hadn’t even been in a major tournament final since last winning the Italian Cup – the second of its two domestic cup triumphs.
But coach Vincenzo Italiano has done a brilliant job since arriving to replace Thiago Motta at Bologna, which has won the Italian championship seven times but last did so in 1964.
Wednesday’s victory was also Italiano’s first major honour as a coach, as he lost three finals with his previous club Fiorentina, including the 2023 Italian Cup final.
Santiago Castro had the first chance of the game for Bologna in the eighth minute but failed to get enough on a vicious inswinging free-kick to divert it past Mike Maignan, who was already committed in the Milan goal.
ALSO READ | As Barcelona nears La Liga title, Raphinha’s breakthrough season takes centrestage
Bologna survived a huge scare moments later when Alex Jimenez got down the right and drilled in a low cross which Sam Beukema diverted straight at his goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski, who was then lucky enough for Luka Jovic to smash the rebound right down his throat.
The match became a more tense affair after that, and it wasn’t until Ndoye’s winner that either team had another opportunity, the Switzerland attacker shimmying and lashing home after Riccardo Orsolini was tackled in the penalty area by Theo Hernandez.
Milan has been a comeback specialist this season, including when beating Bologna 3-1 in the league last weekend.
But it only mustered up one other chance of note in the 71st minute, when substitute Santiago Gimenez’s dreadful first touch effectively passed Hernandez’s low cross to Skorupski.
Bologna successfully, if somewhat awkwardly, hacked away Milan’s limp attempts to attack, and collapsed to the ground in exhaustion once referee Maurizio Mariani blew the final whistle.