Coppa Italia Semi-Final: Como Prevails Over Napoli in Penalty Shootout
The match between Napoli and Como ended in a 1-1 draw, with the outcome being decided by a sequence of eight penalty kicks. In the end, Como emerged victorious, thanks in part to Lobotka’s missed penalty, which was blocked by Butez. Prior to this, Lukaku for Napoli and Perrone for Como had also failed to convert their penalties.
The game was quite balanced, with Como asserting their dominance in the first half. The Lombards took advantage of Napoli’s lack of aggression in midfield, creating central holes that put the Azzurri’s defense in difficulty. This tactic allowed them to impose their game, with Valle placing a cross in front of the goal, which Smolcic pounced on, anticipating Juan Jesus and Olivera. The Uruguayan touched the Croatian’s leg, and Manganiello pointed to the spot, resulting in Baturina converting with a very angled shot.
Napoli’s Reaction and Equalizer
Napoli reacted with Hojlund, who took advantage of a throw from Milinkovic-Savic, appearing at the edge of the penalty area where he was brought down by Ramon. Manganiello decided on a warning for the defender, which, after a VAR check, was not transformed into an expulsion for a last man foul. Less than a minute into the second half, Napoli scored the equalizer, with Hojlund serving Vergara deep, who appeared in front of Butez and scored with an angled low shot.
As the game progressed, Ramon brought down Hojlund, who was preparing to shoot on goal from the edge of the penalty area. Manganiello did not extract the yellow card, which would have represented the expulsion for the defender, provoking harsh protests from the Azzurri. Fabregas immediately replaced Ramon with Kempf. After a quarter of an hour, Conte sent Politano, Spinazzola, and debutant Alisson onto the pitch to make better use of the sidelines. Napoli’s pressure and aggression increased considerably, but the pace of the match faded away as the minutes passed, with neither team managing to create any more scoring opportunities.
Penalty Shootout and Outcome
Regular time ended 1-1, and the match went to penalties, which decided the outcome in favor of Fabregas’ team. Como’s victory marked their advancement to the Coppa Italia semi-final, with Napoli being eliminated. For more information on the match, visit Here