Ospina denies an Inter comeback: Napoli make the Coppa Italia final

NAPLES – The return to the field of competitive play was a bitter one for Inter after three months away from the pitch. At the San Paolo stadium, the Nerazzurri could not do better than 1-1 in the second leg of this Coppa Italia semi-final: it's a result which sees Napoli qualify for the final, with Gattuso’s team now set to take on Juventus on Wednesday. But the bitter sting of elimination does not erase 96 minutes of boundless effort from Conte’s team, who racked up a huge amount of chances. The key man during the match was David Ospina, Napoli’s goalkeeper, who kept Inter at bay with a series of sensational saves. It was a determined performance but, thanks to Mertens’ goal after Eriksen had initially opened the scoring, it was Gattuso’s team who ultimately made it through.

Before the match, there was a dutiful, heartfelt tribute that sent shivers running down spines. Before the kick-off of Napoli vs. Inter, the memory of the victims of the COVID-19 crisis was honoured: a minute’s silence followed by a powerful round of applause directed towards the three national healthcare professionals (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale) on the pitch with the players. They symbolised a presence of all healthcare personnel taking part in the fight against COVID-19.

And before that came Inter’s strong message against any form of discrimination, with the Nerazzurri players wearing BUU – Brothers Universally United – armbands during the warm-up.

Then, 97 days on from the Nerazzurri’s last game, the much-anticipated whistle to get the game underway was blown. Conte started with the tried and trusted duo of Lautaro and Lukaku up top, leaving Eriksen to float around in behind them. And it was precisely the Dane who lit up the San Paolo after just three minutes: his dangerous corner eluded everybody and ended up in the net, giving the Nerazzurri the lead. Prior to Eriksen, the last two Inter players to score directly from a corner were Dejan Stankovic and Alvaro Recoba.

Conte’s team were now in an excellent position to push on and qualify for the final. And they continued to come forward, with Candreva posing a big threat down the right. Inter had a number of opportunities as Ospina was forced into action on more than one occasion. In the 22nd minute, he was alert to keep out Eriksen’s effort across goal, while he then produced an extraordinary save to push Lukaku’s header away following Young’s cross.

Conte’s men were putting the hosts under real pressure and making deep inroads into the Napoli half. The Partenopei, meanwhile, were struggling to get near Handanovic’s goal, with Inter’s only real scare coming when Politano almost robbed the Nerazzurri goalkeeper in the box. But the outlook changed in the 40th minute: after Ospina had produced an incredible save to deny Candreva, Napoli went up the other end and scored on the counter through Mertens after Insigne’s cut-back. It was the Belgian’s 122nd goal of his Partenopei career, thus overtaking Hamsik and becoming Napoli’s all-time leading goalscorer.

This was a real blow, particularly as it was so unexpected. After the restart, Inter struggled to reach the high standards of the first half and created fewer opportunities. Conte looked to shake things up, bringing on Sanchez up front. It was a move that brought the Nerazzurri’s attacking play to life once more, with the Chilean firing an angled drive narrowly wide of the far post in the 75th minute. Then, the same player laid the ball on a plate for Eriksen, whose powerful effort stung the gloves of Ospina.

Inter’s final push didn’t bring any rewards, meaning their Coppa Italia journey came to an end. It’s now time to focus on Serie A.

NAPOLI 1-1 INTER 

NAPOLI (4-3-3): 25 Ospina; 22 Di Lorenzo, 19 Maksimovic, 26 Koulibaly, 23 Hysaj; 20 Zielinski, 4 Demme, 12 Elmas (8 Fabian Ruiz 65'); 21 Politano (7 Callejon 65'), 14 Mertens (99 Milik 74'), 24 Insigne.Substitutes: 1 Meret, 27 Karnezis, 5 Allan, 6 Mario Rui, 9 Llorente, 11 Lozano, 13 Luperto, 31 Ghoulam, 34 Younes.Coach: Gennaro Gattuso.

INTER (3-4-1-2): 1 Handanovic; 37 Skriniar, 6 de Vrij, 95 Bastoni; 87 Candreva (11 Moses 72'), 23 Barella, 77 Brozovic, 15 Young (34 Biraghi 72'); 24 Eriksen; 9 Lukaku, 10 Lautaro (7 Sanchez 72').Substitutes: 27 Padelli, 46 Berni, 5 Gagliardini, 12 Sensi, 13 Ranocchia, 18 Asamoah, 20 Borja Valero, 30 Esposito, 31 Pirola.Coach: Antonio Conte.

Goalscorers: 3' Eriksen (I), 41' Mertens (N)Bookings: Young (I), de Vrij (I), Ospina (N)Added time: 1'

Referee: Rocchi.Assistants: Del Giovane, Cecconi.Fourth official: Mariani.VAR and Assistant VAR: Valeri, Giallatini.