Inter Milan Eye Domestic Double After Coppa Italia Semi-final Thriller

Inter reached a 16th Coppa Italia final after a late 3-2 comeback against Como at San Siro, keeping hopes of a domestic double alive. Cristian Chivu’s side is already closing in on the Serie A title and now targets another trophy, having overturned a two-goal deficit for the second time in 10 days.

Como, chasing a first Coppa Italia final, led 2-0 thanks to goals from Martin Baturina and Lucas da Cunha and also created the better chances on the numbers. Yet Inter’s greater experience showed in the decisive moments, with Hakan Calhanoglu directly involved in all three goals during a dramatic second half.

Calhanoglu pulled Inter back into the tie with a powerful drive on 69 minutes, shifting the momentum. Four minutes from the end, the midfielder struck again, this time with a rare header, to make it 2-2. Inter kept pushing, and stoppage-time pressure brought the winning goal in front of an intense home crowd.

The decisive strike again featured Calhanoglu, but this time as creator. Petar Sucic, who had earlier assisted both of Calhanoglu’s goals, received the return pass and guided a precise shot into the bottom-right corner. That goal completed the comeback and triggered wild celebrations across the San Siro stands.

Calhanoglu produced his most complete attacking display for Inter in any competition. The Turkiye international was involved in three goals in one match for Inter for the first time and also registered a first headed goal for the club. The performance arrived at a decisive stage, with Inter chasing a Coppa Italia and Serie A double.

This victory confirmed Inter’s strong historical record in the Coppa Italia. The Nerazzurri, who already have nine titles, now prepare for their 16th final appearance. Only Roma and Juventus have reached more finals, while since the 2000s, only Juventus have done so more often than Inter.

Inter have now overturned a 2-0 deficit against Como twice inside 10 days, having also won 4-3 in their recent Serie A meeting. Chivu recognised the challenge posed by one of Italy’s best defensive sides and praised the resilience that allowed his team to reach another major domestic final.

"We earned our place here with hard work, putting ourselves in a position that allows us to dream, to achieve the targets of the Serie A title and Coppa Italia trophy," Chivu told Sport Mediaset, as quoted by Football Italia. "We were aware of what Como were doing, and we managed to put a lot of goals past one of the best defensive teams in Italy. These lads care so much about the good of Inter that they fight this hard to turn it around. Overturning a 2-0 deficit against Como twice in 10 days, only Inter can do that."

Despite the defeat, Como delivered an organised and ambitious performance that troubled Inter again. The visitors created several clear chances, struck the crossbar through Marc Oliver Kempf and repeatedly stretched Inter’s defence. Data from the match showed Como shaded the expected goals figures, although they could not convert that into a place in the final.

Cesc Fabregas highlighted those missed chances when reflecting on the loss. The Como coach saw Assane Diao waste a one-on-one opportunity that could have made it 3-1 shortly after Calhanoglu’s first goal. That moment, together with Kempf’s first-half header against the crossbar, left Como with regrets despite their overall display.

"The game changed after the goal for 2-1, but before that, we had a chance with Diao to go 3-1 up when he was one-on-one, so that could've changed it in the other direction," Fabregas said. "I know where we started this journey two and a half years ago. Now we are challenging to enter the Coppa Italia Final. We come close to beating Inter twice in a few weeks. It's all very nice, but I know where we come from. I knew these lads would give me a great performance after Friday's defeat to Sassuolo, and they did that. We are still missing something, but again, we knew that. I know where they are in the process, and we are up against a team of veterans who have been together for six or seven years, so it is maybe not easy, but you're certainly more likely to win the Scudetto with this squad. They were in the Champions League final last season, they are a winning team. We must continue our journey, it was important for me to see where we were. Are we on the same level as Inter? No, but we are close. We're just not quite as strong in the two penalty areas."

Como remain fifth in Serie A and five points from the Champions League spots, underlining the progress since Fabregas took charge. Inter, meanwhile, prepare for another Coppa Italia final while moving towards the league title. The semi-final underlined both Inter’s habit of winning crucial domestic ties and Como’s rise as a competitive force in Italian football.