A party that does not give up
Atalanta and Lazio gave us one of those spectacles that leaves you breathless. The first leg of the Italian Cup semi-finals ended 2-2, but the story was much more intense than the result.
Everything exploded in the second half. Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, just two minutes after the break, put Lazio ahead with a great goal after a masterful assist from former Atalanta Daniel Maldini.
But Atalanta did not shrink. Mario Pasalic, just four minutes later, pushed a rebound into the back of the net to tie the score. The game seemed headed for another tie… until the 87th minute arrived.
Boulaye Dia took advantage of a defensive error and put Lazio back on top. It seemed like the winning goal. But this Atalanta has the soul of a warrior.
At 90 minutes, Yunus Musah, the American international, appeared to tie again and save a key point for the second leg. It was a pure, instinctive and heartfelt reaction.
History is heavy, but the present is what counts
This result leaves everything open for the return matches, scheduled for April 21 and 22. The final is set for May 13.
Atalanta arrives with an interesting bag: it has been to three finals in the last seven years, but has only lifted the trophy once… more than six decades ago, in 1963!
Lazio, for its part, is a seven-time champion. And he knows what it’s like to beat this rival in a final: it was against Atalanta where he won his most recent title, in 2019.
The other semifinal match between Como and Inter ended without goals. This means that absolutely everything is yet to be decided. April promises to be an electrifying month for Italian football.
