Italian Super Cup: Bologna beat Inter on penalties and will play Napoli in the final

At Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Bologna qualified for the Italian Super Cup final by beating Inter 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time in the second semifinal. The winner will face Napoli on Monday for the trophy, after Napoli defeated Milan 2-0 on Thursday. In a shootout in which one in every two shots was missed, including two over the crossbar, Santiago Castro's team—he started and came off in the second half—secured their place in the final of the tournament for the first time, after qualifying by winning the Coppa Italia, another first for the club. On the other side, Lautaro Martínez, who came on 20 minutes from the end, opened the penalty shootout with a conversion for the Nerazzurri, which ultimately served little purpose. Marcus Thuram had given Inter the lead after two minutes, volleying a pass from Alessandro Bastoni over the defense. Riccardo Orsolini equalized in the 35th minute with a penalty that took a while to be confirmed after review. In that play, which was hotly debated, Castro went to challenge defender Yann Bisseck for the ball and, under pressure, the Cameroonian unintentionally touched it with his right arm. Referee Daniele Chiffi did not immediately identify the action, and so the penalty was decided later. "In the second half, another penalty was awarded immediately, although for Inter, but VAR called the referee over to watch the play on the monitor next to the field. There, Chiffi became convinced that it was actually Thuram who had committed the foul in the first place, before defender Torbjorn Heggem brought down the Frenchman. The referee then reversed the decision, awarding a free kick to Bologna. Inter dominated the game for most of the match, leading for more than half an hour and creating several chances to seal the victory. However, they were unable to get past the man of the match, goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia, who prevented Bologna from losing in regular time and later saved two penalties (from Bastoni and Ange-Yoan Bonny, with a weak shot), which ultimately proved decisive." In the end, Nicolò Barella (Inter) and Juan Miranda (Bologna) shot over the crossbar, at a time when five shots were taken without any of them being converted. In the end, Ciro Immobile did not disappoint and sealed the match. The Italian Super Cup semifinals were therefore lethal for the two giants of the Lombard capital, as Milan had been defeated by Napoli in a match marked by enormous tension and insults between the members of both coaching staffs. On Friday, the Napoli board condemned the “totally out of control” behavior of Massimiliano Allegri, the Rossoneri coach, who according to the Italian press is now the subject of disciplinary proceedings. Napoli has won the tournament twice (1990 and 2014). Bologna ended a 51-year drought in 2025 by winning the Coppa Italia, but has never lifted this trophy, which since 2023 has been contested by four teams (the Serie A and Coppa Italia champions and runners-up) and is being played in Saudi Arabia for the fourth consecutive season and sixth time in its history." The winning club will receive €11,000,000 ($12.8 million) in a tournament with a record total prize pool of €23,000,000 ($26.9 million).