Coppa Italia Semi-Final Draw Leaves Fabregas With A Slightly Bitter Taste

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Como held Inter to a goalless draw in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg, yet Cesc Fabregas felt the hosts missed a major opening. Fabregas believed Como created enough to win at Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, leaving the tie finely balanced before the second leg next month.

Inter were unusually quiet in attack, registering only three attempts, all off target, and producing 0.1 expected goals. Como, by contrast, generated 0.9 expected goals from five shots, including a major opportunity for Alex Valle inside the six-yard box early in the second half.

Fabregas stressed that the performance merited more than a 0-0 scoreline, even against a dominant Serie A side. "The result is what it is. Overall, I feel that perhaps we deserved to score a goal, or at least got closer to scoring one," Fabregas told Sport Mediaset, underlining Como's frustration.

The coach described a very controlled contest, where Como executed a clear tactical plan against Inter. "It was a chess match, very tactical, where against the most dominant team in Serie A, we played the game we wanted to. We were solid, had two or three very good chances, with Alex Valle, where it seemed harder to miss than to score, but these things happen."

Across all competitions, this was the first time since March 2018 that Inter finished a match with no more than three shots, the previous instance coming against Napoli in Serie A. Valle's close-range miss alone accounted for 0.7 of Como's expected goals, as the home side failed to convert their clearest opportunities.

Fabregas also pointed to Inter's recent strength in Italian football to underline the achievement and the regret. "Inter have dominated Italian football in the last five years, but they had only one shot on goal today. It leaves a slightly bitter taste in our mouths, because we feel like we could've at least won this 1-0."

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Como vs Inter Coppa Italia: Chivu explains Inter selection and tactics

Cristian Chivu rotated heavily, with Francesco Pio Esposito leading the line as the only recognised striker in Inter's starting team. Regular captain Lautaro Martinez was unavailable through injury, so Andy Diouf and Davide Frattesi operated just behind Esposito, as Chivu moved away from Inter's usual 3-5-2 structure.

Chivu outlined the issues Inter faced when reshaping the side against Como's controlled possession game. "I had a few problems to deal with, we were forced into some changes. It's the first time I played with a pair of creative midfielders supporting the striker," said Chivu, highlighting the unusual setup.

The Inter coach praised Diouf and Frattesi for their qualities between the lines in the Como vs Inter clash. "They are so good at keeping the ball, passing it around and drawing you out to then attack the space." Chivu admitted Inter had to learn quickly during the match, given the short preparation time.

Assessing the overall display, Chivu felt Inter adapted reasonably well under testing conditions. "We did well to understand what we needed to do, and were fortunate in a couple of situations. Considering we didnt have much time to prepare, playing after 72 hours, the lads did well to understand the instructions quickly and give their best, knowing that at times we had to accept Como's possession play."

The first leg leaves both Como and Inter still level, with the return meeting set to decide the Coppa Italia finalists. Como take encouragement from limiting Inter's attack and creating the better chances, while Inter rely on experience and squad depth as attention shifts to the decisive second leg.