Dan Ndoye etched his name in Bologna history, as he scored the decisive goal to end the club’s 51-year wait for Coppa Italia glory with a 1-0 win over AC Milan in Rome, leaving the Rossoneri still searching for their first cup triumph since 2003.
Just five days after AC Milan beat Bologna 3-1 in Serie A, the two sides renewed hostilities in the Italian capital with the Coppa Italia on the line.
Appearing in the final for the first time since winning the competition in 1974, Bologna had their goalkeeper to thank for avoiding the worst possible start, as Lukasz Skorupski made a superb double save to spare Sam Beukema’s blushes and stop Luka Jovic’s follow-up effort.
That proved to be Milan’s only shot on target of the first period, as Bologna established their authority on the half in terms of possession, although they could only force Mike Maignan into three routine stops before the interval, ensuring the two teams went into the break with goalless scoreline for the second game in a row.
In another parallel to the recent Serie A clash, Bologna found the breakthrough in the early stages of the second half to spark scenes of jubilation behind Maignan’s goal.
Ndoye collected the ball in the box after Riccardo Orsolini was dispossessed by a last-ditch tackle, showing great composure to work the space to drill a right-footed shot beyond the despairing Milan goalkeeper.
Ndoye’s first goal of the cup campaign forced Milan boss Sergio Conceicao to make a triple change, introducing Kyle Walker, Joao Felix and Santiago Gimenez – the latter of whom netted a brace in the 3-1 league victory.
However, the substitutes struggled to make an impact despite Milan doing their utmost to pressurise the determined Rossoblu backline, who dug deep to restrict their opponents to rare sights of goal.
Six minutes of stoppage would have felt like an eternity to Bologna boss Vincenzo Italiano, but the wait was ultimately worth it as the referee blew the whistle to signal the first major trophy of his managerial career and the bonus of qualification for next season’s UEFA Europa League and Supercoppa Italiana.
While the Bologna contingent rejoiced, Milan reflected upon a gut-wrenching defeat that closed a pathway to European football in this most disappointing of seasons.
