By Abubakar Y Ojima-Ojo
Bologna sealed their place in the Italian Cup final for the first time in 50 years with a comfortable 2-1 win over Empoli on Thursday, completing a dominant 5-1 aggregate victory in the semi-finals and igniting dreams of long-awaited silverware.
Vincenzo Italiano’s side, one of the most in-form teams in Italian football, made light work of their opponents and will now face AC Milan in the final on May 14 in Rome.
With a 3-0 lead from the first leg, Bologna rotated heavily, making seven changes from the team that recently defeated Inter Milan in Serie A. However, the alterations did little to halt their momentum.
Giovanni Fabbian, one of those brought into the starting XI, opened the scoring after just seven minutes with a well-placed header to extend Bologna’s aggregate lead to four goals.
Empoli managed a brief lifeline in the 33rd minute when Viktor Kovalenko tapped in the rebound from a parried shot, but the visitors were ultimately outclassed. Thijs Dallinga restored Bologna’s two-goal lead on the night with a powerful header four minutes from time.
Bologna’s last appearance in a major final dates back to their 1974 Italian Cup triumph — the second and most recent domestic cup in their history.
The club’s resurgence this season has also placed them fourth in Serie A, putting them in a strong position to return to the Champions League after an underwhelming debut campaign.
The final will be a stern test against AC Milan, who progressed after convincingly dispatching city rivals Inter Milan 4-1 on aggregate in the other semi-final.
For manager Vincenzo Italiano, this could be a chance to finally lift a major trophy. The former Fiorentina boss lost three finals with his previous club, including last year’s Coppa Italia final.
Empoli’s impressive run, which included wins over Fiorentina and Juventus, came to a halt in their first-ever Italian Cup semi-final appearance. Their focus now shifts back to Serie A, where Roberto D’Aversa’s side remain in the relegation zone, without a league win since early December.
