Inter roar back to beat Como and reach Italian Cup final

Published April 23, 2026 Updated April 23, 2026 07:05am
 INTER Milan players celebrate after defeating Como in the Italian Cup semi-final second leg at San Siro.—Reuters
INTER Milan players celebrate after defeating Como in the Italian Cup semi-final second leg at San Siro.—Reuters

MILAN: Inter Milan reached the Italian Cup final on Tuesday after coming back from two goals down to beat Como 3-2 and go through by the same scoreline on aggregate.

Trailing early in the second half at the San Siro to brilliant goals from Martin Baturina and Lucas Da Cunha, Inter looked as good as out, but Hakan Calhanoglu dragged the hosts level with a brace and then set up Petar Sucic for a last-gasp winner.

Cristian Chivu’s team will face one of Atalanta or Lazio in next month’s showpiece in Rome, with the other semi-final delicately poised at 2-2 ahead of the second leg.

Sucic’s calm finish denied Como a first appearance in the cup final. But Inter can still claim a league and cup double as they are almost certain to win Serie A due to a 12-point lead over AC Milan and Napoli with five matches remaining in the league season.

“I had a bit of luck but I’m pleased we managed to turn it around. Como make it difficult because they know how to play,” Calhanoglu told Mediaset, in an interview which was interrupted several times by a jubilant Marcus Thuram dancing along to fans chanting his name.

“The league and cup are our two goals, we need to make sure we close out the Scudetto as soon as possible.”

Roared on by over 4,000 fans who made the short trip to Milan from their lakeside homes, Como were well on top by the time Baturina perfectly slid home Ignace Van Der Brempt’s cutback in the 32nd minute.

And once captain Da Cunha, who played for Como in Serie B, collected Nico Paz’s perfect through ball and slotted past Josep Martinez two minutes after half-time, Inter looked dead on their feet.

But Calhanoglu halved the deficit in the 69th minute with a deflected finish, sparking the crowd back into life and beginning a late siege which eventually broke Como.

Turkey captain Calhanoglu guided home a rare header from Sucic’s inswinging cross in the 86th minute and moments later the roles were reversed for the goal which kept Inter’s double hopes alive.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2026

Opinion

Editorial

Pahalgam aftermath
24 Apr, 2026

Pahalgam aftermath

A YEAR after at least 26 people were killed in a terrorist attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam area, ties ...
Real estate power
24 Apr, 2026

Real estate power

THE latest round of land valuation revisions by the FBR for tax purposes signifies a familiar pattern that ...
Ad astra
Updated 24 Apr, 2026

Ad astra

AMONG the many developments this month that Pakistanis can take pride in is the news that one of their own will soon...
Ceasefire extension
Updated 23 Apr, 2026

Ceasefire extension

THOUGH the US has extended the Iran ceasefire — thanks largely to effective Pakistani diplomacy to prevent sliding...
Climate & livelihoods
23 Apr, 2026

Climate & livelihoods

THE latest ILO report estimates that around 3.3m jobs may have been affected by the 2025 floods — significantly...
Virtual courts
23 Apr, 2026

Virtual courts

THOUGH routine activities in Islamabad have been greatly hindered amidst security preparations for another round of...