The all-top-flight Coppa Italia quarter-finals certainly lived up to the hype, with three out of four matches already done and dusted.
After last night, Atalanta, Lazio, and Fiorentina are now through to the final four, while Juventus and Frosinone will duel in Turin for the final semi-finals berth later.
We didn’t get to see as many goals as we’d like from AC Milan, Atalanta, Lazio, AS Roma, Fiorentina, and Bologna, but there was no shortage of fireworks and drama, which was expected since this is their best chance of getting their hands on some silverware this year.
What we saw instead are a couple of red faces and red cards, which will play a role in the next round, and SBOTOP is here to recap the latest Coppa Italia 2024 updates.
AC Milan’s Coppa Italia drought continues
AC Milan’s legitimate shot at winning a trophy was dashed when they were beaten 2-1 by Atalanta last night at San Siro.
When Rafael Leao scored the first goal of the contest, it seemed that AC Milan were poised to advance to the semi-finals, but Teun Koopmeiners got Atalanta back on track with his equaliser right before halftime.
Koopmeiners would score again in the second half for the win, this time via a penalty after Aleksei Miranchuk drew the call for a controversial foul on Alex Jimenez. AC Milan full-back Theo Hernandez was even given a yellow card for complaining to the referees.
Prior to the goals, things were already chippy between these two sides.
One particular incident that stood out was Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini being sent off for dissent towards a non-penalty call when Marten de Roon collided with Tijjani Reijnders and Matteo Gabbia.
With a bloody nose, Gabbia had to be subbed off the pitch for Simon Kjær, adding to the Rossoneri’s defencive depth woes. Mario Pasalic then replaced Marten de Roon on the field for Atalanta.
Coming into this game, the Coppa Italia 2024 odds had I Rossoneri as one of the competition’s favourites given the teams already eliminated.
But for now, AC Milan will have to wait even longer for their next Cup, and Atalanta will continue to have their eyes on the prize.
Rome Derby didn’t disappoint
Tensions flared between Lazio and AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico, as a total of seven players were booked, including three red cards given during stoppage time.
After a relatively quiet first half where no team has scored, the intensity was kicked up a notch after Mattia Zaccagni put I Biancocelesti ahead in the 51st minute via a penalty kick after Dean Huijsen fouled Taty Castellanos inside the box.
Bryan Cristante, Taty Castellanos, Matteo Guendouzi, and Gianluca Mancini were all booked in just a span of 14 minutes, as both teams were trying to score.
AS Roma came close to notching the equaliser as Andrea Belotti tested Christos Mandas while Romelu Lukaku’s effort just went over the woodwork.
A melee ensued during stoppage time as Pedro got into it with Leandro Paredes, and the former was sent off after two bookings. Luca Pellegrini was also given a yellow card.
Things got uglier in the end, as Sardar Azmoun was shown a red card for clocking Nicolo Rovella, while Gianluca Mancini was also sent off for arguing with the referees.
Even after being replaced late in the second half, Edoardo Bove was struck in the back of the head with a beer bottle.
Lazio are through to the semis, but they will have to cope without Pedro, who will miss their next few games following the incident.
Fiorentina beat Bologna in a battle of upstarts
Similar to the Parma match in the Round of 16, Fiorentina won yet another Coppa Italia game via penalties to continue their revenge tour after finishing as runners-up last year behind Inter Milan.
After Stefan Posch botched Bologna’s final kick, Maxime Lopez made the decisive penalty to give Fiorentina the 5-4 win in the shootout after the match ended goalless in regulation.
Bologna were actually the better team for the most part, and they should’ve gone ahead in the 34th minute only if Joshua Zirkzee converted his effort after dancing past multiple Fiorentina defenders.
Riccardo Orsolini also hit the post for I Rossoblu early in the second half, while Zirkzee tested Fiorentina goalie Oliver Christensen during the third minute of extra time.
Fiorentina are glad to have eked out a win, and they’ll need all the luck they can get against Atalanta in the next round.
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