Fiorentina v Internazionale Live Commentary & Result, 24/05/2023, Coppa Italia

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Both teams return to Serie A action on Saturday. Fiorentina host Roma, while Inter are at home to Atalanta in their bid to shore up their top-four place.

Inter win the 2023 Coppa Italia final by defeating Fiorentina 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico. The Nerazzurri went behind early to Nicolas Gonazalez's strike, but Lautaro Martinez was the hero for Simone Inzaghi's men. The Argentine levelled the scores with a clinical finish from Marcelo Brozovic's throughball before he scored a brilliant volley to put them ahead. The second goal proved to be decisive as the Viola failed to draw level despite creating a number of chances in the second half. Inter were resilient and held out to claim the crown for the second year in a row and the ninth time in their history.

90' + 5' FULL-TIME: FIORENTINA 1-2 INTER

90' + 4' De Vrij steps out of the Inter defence and wins the ball. He surges forward and feeds Lukaku, who cuts inside to shoot and sees his effort deflected behind. A corner is almost as good as a goal there as it gives Inter another chance to take time away from Fiorentina.

90' + 3' Inter are in game-management mode now. They're taking their time over every set-piece to eat away the seconds on the clock.

90' + 2' CHANCE! Jovic gets above his man to connect with Terzic's cross from the right flank, but he sends his effort wide of the target. Jovic should have taken at least one his three chances.

90' There will be five minutes of added time.

N. González

Yellow Card

90' Gosens does well to win the ball from Gonzalez and then draws a foul. The Fiorentina man goes into the book for pulling back the Inter defender.

88' Fiorentina are knocking on the door, but cannot get the breakthrough. Inter have not been at their best in the second half in the final third. But, Inzaghi and his team have been resilient to fend off the best efforts of the Viola to draw level.

87' DARMIAN TO THE RESCUE! Darmian is in the right place at the right time to head Gonzalez's cross away from Cabral in the six-yard box after Handanovic makes a poor decision to try to claim a loose ball in his penalty area.

J. Correa

Lautaro Martínez

83' Martinez has done all he can to secure a ninth Coppa Italia trophy for Inter with two goals today. He makes way after a brilliant performance for Correa.

R. Gagliardini

H. Çalhanoğlu

83' Gagliardini replaces Calhanoglu to shore up the Inter midfield for the closing stages.

A. Terzić

Dodô

82' Dodo makes way for Terzic down the right flank.

82' JOVIC HAS TO SCORE! The forward rises to connect with Dodo's cross and he heads his effort back across goal. Handanovic is beaten, but the ball travels agonisingly past the right post. So close for the Viola.

81' Biraghi floats a cross into the Inter box for Cabral to attack, but he can only glance his header into Handanovic's grasp.

79' ACTION AT BOTH ENDS! Barella blasts the ball over the bar from a good position on the edge of the box before Fiorentina break upfield. Jovic turns his way past Darmian and fires at goal with a powerful left-footed strike, but Handanovic spreads himself to make a vital stop.

78' Cabral jumps into Handanovic as he tries to gather Gonzalez's deflected strike and gives away a needless free-kick.

77' CHANCE! Dodo makes a vital intervention at the back post to prevent Gosens from getting a clean strike on Lukaku's low ball across the face of goal. That could have been it for Inter.

75' CLOSE! Biraghi collects Bonaventura's offload 25 yards from goal and lets fly with a powerful shot on his left foot that whistles over the bar. Fiorentina are getting closer.

74' SAVE! Gonzalez is allowed to raid forward into the inside-right channel by the Nerazzurri before he unleashes a right-footed blast at goal. Handanovic watches it all the way and palms it behind for a corner.

72' Sottil tries to attack a looping ball in the Inter box at the back post following Dodo's cross. Dumfries does enough to edge out the forward.

L. Ranieri

L. Martínez

70' Ranieri enters the action to replace Martinez, who had been booked earlier in the second half.

L. Jović

S. Amrabat

70' Italiano needs more fire up front and he withdraws Amrabat for Jovic.

69' Martinez harasses Milenkovic at the back from a long ball over the top, forcing the Fiorentina defender to clear into touch. He has been a constant thorn in the side of the Viola today.

R. Gosens

F. Dimarco

68' Dimarco now makes way for the Nerazzurri on the left flank and is replaced by Gosens.

67' SAVE! Lukaku fends off two challenges on the edge of the box before he drills a powerful strike at goal. Terracciano makes the stop, and although Dimarco pounces on the rebound, he fires wide of the target. The Inter wing-back is offside anyway.

64' Inter have not been at their best in the second half, although it did take them a while to warm up in the first half.

62' Fiorentina are asking questions of the Inter defence through set-pieces. They've had five corners in the second half already, but the Nerazzurri are passing the defensive test at the moment.

R. Sottil

J. Ikoné

60' Ikone created the opening goal of the game for Gonzalez, but now makes way for Sottil.

R. Mandragora

G. Castrovilli

60' Mandragora comes on for Castrovilli in the Fiorentina midfield.

S. de Vrij

A. Bastoni

58' De Vrij replaces Bastoni for the Nerazzurri at the back. It might be due to the booking that Bastoni picked up.

R. Lukaku

E. Džeko

58' Dzeko has not been at his best today and makes way for Lukaku.

57' Biraghi raids forward down the left flank and digs out a cross towards the penalty spot where Cabral heads at goal, but his effort is tame and straight at Handanovic.

55' OVER! Martinez sends an offload into the feet of Dimarco on the edge of the Fiorentina box, but he slices his effort over the bar.

L. Martínez

Yellow Card

54' Martinez wipes out Dzeko at midfield and goes into the book.

54' WIDE! Biraghi lines up the resulting free-kick from 30 yards and sends his left-footed strike harmlessly wide of the right post.

A. Bastoni

Yellow Card

53' Bastoni brings down Gonzalez on a break upfield and goes into the book.

52' Inter have a great chance to expose Fiorentina at the back, but Dimarco releases his offload at the wrong time and catches Dzeko in an offside position.

51' Castrovilli makes a probing run into the Inter box and lines up a drive at goal that is deflected over the top by Dimarco.

50' Castrovilli rises to attack a cross from Biraghi from the left flank, but he gets his header all wrong and sends it well wide of the target.

48' Fiorentina are trying to push back the Inter defence towards their own goal. The Viola have come out with energy at the start of the second half.

46' We're back under way at the Stadio Olimpico.

Fiorentina made the perfect start to the game through Gonzalez's opener, and for 28 minutes they were in command of the game. But, a moment of brilliance from Marcelo Brozovic opened up their defence allowing Martinez to fire home a strike. Martinez then produced another fine effort on the volley to put Inter ahead. Quality in the final third could be the difference between the two teams at the end of the contest.

Inter have overcome an early setback to take a 2-1 lead into half-time in the Coppa Italia final. Nicolas Gonzalez fired Fiorentina in front in the third minute, converting Jonathan Ikone's cross at the back post. However, Lautaro Martinez notched a brace with two fine strikes to put Inter on course for their second Coppa Italia crown on the bounce. The Viola need a response in the second half.

45' + 1' HALF-TIME: FIORENTINA 1-2 INTER

45' There will be one minute of added time.

44' Dzeko turns towards goals and looks for a throughball towards Martinez. Milenkovic makes the interception before Dimarco sees his cross from the left flank deflected into Terracciano's grasp.

42' The tone of the contest has completely changed. Fiorentina were winning all of the second balls in the opening 25 minutes, but the brilliance of Martinez has put them well and truly on the back foot.

40' Martinez has now scored over 100 goals for Inter. A perfect time to pass the milestone for the club.

39' Inter needed a response after Fiorentina's strong start to the game and Martinez has answered the call for his team with two brilliant finishes.

N. Barella

Assist

37' Barella steers a cross back into the middle that Martinez meets and dispatches past Terracciano with a clinical strike.

Lautaro Martínez

Goal

37' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! MARTINEZ HAMMERS HOME A VOLLEY!!! 2-1 INTER!!!!! The Argentine puts Inter ahead with a sublime volley from 12 yards. Fiorentina fail to clear their lines from a Calhanoglu cross before Barella places the ball back into the middle. Martinez is alert and connects first-time on the volley to hammer his effort past Terracciano. A super strike from the Nerrazzurri forward.

35' Dodo collects on the right flank and he drills a cross into the middle, but no Fiorentina player can react to turn the ball towards goal.

33' Gonzalez is back on his feet and the game gets back under way.

31' Gonzalez takes an awkward fall after jumping in an aerial battle with Brozovic. He requires treatment before the game can resume.

M. Brozović

Assist

29' Brozovic plays a sublime throughball behind the Fiorentina defence for Martinez to collect and score.

Lautaro Martínez

Goal

29' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!! MARTINEZ LEVELS THE SCORES!!! 1-1!!!!! Inter are back in the game as Martinez buries a low strike into the bottom-left corner. Brozovic threads the needle to open up the Fiorentina defence. Martinez takes a touch in the inside-right channel before drilling his attempt past Terracciano.

28' Bonaventura continues to cause problems for the Inter midfield, but Acerbi makes a vital challenge at the back to stop his progress.

25' Martinez and Dzeko combine for Inter to allow the forward to press into the Fiorentina box. Lucas Martinez is on the spot for the Viola to fend off the forward and regain possession.

24' CHANCE! Martinez releases Dzeko through on goal with only Terracciano to beat, but the forward blasts his left-footed strike over the top. A huge chance is spurned by the Inter man to draw his team level.

23' Bastoni threads the ball through towards Dzeko in the final third, but it evades him and strikes Martinez before rolling into the hands of Terracciano. Inter claim for a backpass, but the referee is unmoved.

22' Fiorentina are pressing Inter high up the pitch and are preventing the Nerazzurri from playing the ball out from the back. There's no way through for Inzaghi's men.

20' Cabral fends off Darmian with ease down the left flank and looks for support. Inter get men back behind the ball and are able to quell the threat from the Fiorentina break.

18' WIDE! Bonaventura continues his impressive outing to date as he lines up a strike from 20 yards that drifts wide of the left post.

17' OVER! Bonaventura feeds the run of Gonzalez in the Inter box again. He shoots first-time but sees his effort deflected over the top by Bastoni. However, the referee awards a goal-kick rather than a corner.

14' Inter are dominating possession in the early stages of the game, but Fiorentina are finding space on the counter with ease. Inzaghi needs better control from his team.

12' WIDE! Bonaventura pulls strings in the final third as he turns on the edge of the box and feeds Amrabat. He places a low strike towards goal that trickles wide of the left post.

9' Fiorentina have the early lead in the contest, which will allow the Viola to play the game on their terms. Inter will have to work hard to get back into this one.

7' Dumfries rises highest in the box to attack the resulting corner from Calhanoglu, but he sends his header tamely into the hands of Terracciano.

7' WIDE! Inter press back and Dumfries finds space in the inside-right channel to send a cutback towards Dzeko. He shoots first-time, but his effort is deflected wide of the right post.

5' Fiorentina have avoided defeat in their last six matches when scoring the opening goal in the Coppa Italia (Round of 16 onwards) dating back to 25th April 2019 against Atalanta (L1-2).

N. González

Goal

3' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! GONAZALEZ FIRES FIORENTINA IN FRONT!!!!!! 1-0!!!!! What a start for the Viola as Gonzalez is on the spot at the back post to fire past Handanovic. Bonaventura leads a break for Fiorentina into the final third and offloads towards Ikone. The winger drills a low ball across the face of goal that evades Cabral, but Gonzalez is on the mark to drill his effort into the back of the net.

1' We're under way at the Stadio Olimpico.

Inter can join Roma on nine Coppa Italia crowns with a win today. Only Juventus (14) have won the trophy on more occasions.

Inter have made nine changes to their side from their defeat to Napoli. Handanovic gets the nod ahead of Onana in goal. Bastoni retains his place in the side and is joined in the three-man backline by Darmian and Acerbi. Dumfries, Brozovic, Calhanoglu and Dimarco slot alongside Barella in the middle of the park. Dzeko and Martinez lead the line as Correa and Lukaku drop to the bench.

Fiorentina have made 10 changes to their side that drew 1-1 with Torino last time out. Only Martinez keeps his place in the side from last week. Terracciano starts between the posts, while Dodo, Milenkovic and Biraghi join Martinez in the back four. Amrabat, Bonaventura and Castrovilli start in the midfield. Cabral leads the line supported by Ikone and Gonzalez in the final third.

INTER SUBS: Roberto Gagliardini, Stefan de Vrij, Robin Gosens, Joaquin Correa, Raoul Bellanova, Kristjan Asllani, Alex Cordaz, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Andre Onana, Danilo D'Ambrosio, Milan Skriniar, Ebenezer Akinsanmiro, Aleksandar Stankovic, Romelu Lukaku.

INTER (3-5-2): Samir Handanovic; Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, Hakan Calhanoglu, Federico Dimarco; Edin Dzeko, Lautaro Martinez.

FIORENTINA SUBS: Luka Jovic, Riccardo Saponara, Aleksa Terzic, Luca Ranieri, Lorenzo Venuti, Michele Cerofolini, Alfred Duncan, Riccardo Sottil, Rolando Mandragora, Alessandro Bianco, Tommaso Vannucchi, Antonin Barak, Josip Brekalo, Igor, Christian Kouame.

FIORENTINA (4-3-3): Pietro Terracciano; Dodo, Nikola Milenkovic, Lucas Martinez, Cristiano Biraghi; Giacomo Bonaventura, Sofyan Amrabat, Gaetano Castrovilli; Jonathan Ikone, Arthur Cabral, Nicolas Gonzalez.

Inter will be determined to defend their crown after beating Juventus last season to win the competition for the eighth time. The Nerazzurri also have a massive few weeks ahead of them after advancing to the Champions League final for the first time in 13 years. Simone Inzaghi's men beat Parma, Atalanta and Juve to reach the final edging out the Bianconeri by a 2-1 aggregate scoreline in the semis. Their league form has been solid, although the Nerazzurri enter the game off the back of a 3-1 defeat to Napoli. Inzaghi needs a strong performance from his team to clinch a ninth Coppa Italia.

Fiorentina are aiming to win the Coppa Italia for the first time since 2001. The club reached the final in 2014, only to lose out at the hands of Napoli. Vincenzo Italiano and his team have the chance to end his side's longstanding drought in the competition after reeling off an impressive series of results, defeating Sampdoria, Torino and Cremonese to reach the final. Fiorentina's league form has been middling, but the Coppa Italia is the first of two finals the club will be playing after reaching the Europa Conference League final where they will play West Ham next month. It could be the start of a historic few weeks for the Viola.

Hello and welcome to the live commentary of the Coppa Italia final between Fiorentina and Inter at the Stadio Olimpico.

Fiorentina v Internazionale Live Commentary, 24/05/2023

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