Inter stage another stunning comeback against Como to reach the Coppa Italia final
It was a comeback that kept Inter's hopes of a domestic double alive and left Como devastated after what had looked for so long like a historic night in the making.
The hosts had every reason to dream. Reaching a first Coppa Italia final in club history would have been another extraordinary step for a side whose rise has already been one of the most dramatic stories in Italian football. Just six years ago, Como was playing in Serie C. On this evidence, they were more than ready to believe in one more leap.
They were by far the better side in the first half.
Inter were rattled early, and Como nearly broke through when Marc-Oliver Kempf headed against the post from a corner won after Josep Martinez had already been forced into a save by Martin Baturina from a tight angle. The warning signs were clear, and just after the half-hour mark , they were turned into a deserved lead.
Ignace van der Brempt burst powerfully to the byline and cut the ball back into space, where Baturina arrived unmarked and finished from eight meters to put Como in front.
That goal opened the game up even more. Tasos Douvikas later headed wide from another dangerous corner, while Inter's best moment of the half fell to Marcus Thuram, whose header was dramatically cleared off the line by Maximo Perrone.
Even so, the overall pattern remained in Como's favor . And just two minutes after the restart, they looked to have pushed one foot firmly into the final. Piotr Zielinski gave the ball away carelessly, Nico Paz seized on it , and slid a pass through for Lucas Da Cunha, who finished from a tight angle to make it 2-0.
At that stage, Inter looked in real trouble. But they responded in the only way a side with their experience and quality can. With a little over 20 minutes left, Hakan Calhanoglu dragged them back into the tie when his long-range effort took a deflection and flew into the bottom corner.
That goal changed the mood instantly. Como still had the chance to kill the tie almost immediately, but substitute Assane Diao missed a glorious one-on-one opportunity just a minute later, and that moment proved fatal. Inter smelled weakness and kept pushing.
Calhanoglu struck again to level the match, this time arriving in the box and guiding a precise header home from 12 meters out. Suddenly the tie, which had looked gone, was completely alive again, and Como were left scrambling to hold on.
They could not. In the 89th minute, Petar Sucic produced the final blow with a beautiful curling finish that completed another stunning Inter turnaround and sent the Nerazzurri through to Rome, where they will face either Atalanta or Lazio in the final.
For Inter, it was another reminder of why they remain so dangerous, even when they appear beaten. For Como, it was a brutal repeat of a nightmare they had only just lived through.
