Lazio Gain Strength As Provedel Shines In Coppa Italia Victory Over Bologna

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Lazio reached the Coppa Italia semi-finals after a tense shoot-out win over Bologna, showing renewed resilience. The quarter-final ended 1-1 in normal time, before Lazio prevailed 4-1 on penalties. Ivan Provedel saved one spot-kick, while Kenneth Taylor converted the decisive effort to set up a clash with Atalanta.

The holders Bologna had led through Santiago Castro on 30 minutes, but Lazio responded strongly after the interval. Substitute Tijjani Noslin struck three minutes into the second half, shifting momentum in a balanced contest. Both sides created openings after that equaliser, yet neither managed to convert before the penalty drama.

During the shoot-out, Provedel made the key contribution by stopping Lewis Ferguson’s first penalty for Bologna. That early save increased the pressure on the holders. Shortly afterwards, Riccardo Orsolini also failed to score, leaving Taylor to guide Lazio through with a calm penalty straight down the centre of the goal.

Provedel reflected on the team’s development and pointed to recent displays as evidence of progress. "It was a great night. We got ourselves into trouble in the first half, but we're getting stronger," Provedel said. "Something good was already starting to happen, then in January we had our ups and downs, but now we're finding our feet again. It was a strong performance in Turin [in a 2-2 draw with Juventus last weekend], we're working in the right direction, and playing against the champions wasn't a given. I'm happy it went the way it did; the lads played well. Now we're off to rest because the league doesn't wait, but we're fired up for the semi-finals."

Lazio’s progress continues a strong record in recent Coppa Italia seasons. From 2011-12 onwards, only Juventus and Inter have reached the semi-finals more often. Juventus have done so 11 times, Inter eight times, and Lazio seven times, underlining the club’s consistent presence deep in the competition.

The victory also keeps alive Lazio’s pursuit of another Coppa Italia title, having last lifted the trophy in 2018-19, their seventh success. Noslin, who scored the equaliser, made clear that the squad is already thinking about the wider target and aims to turn this run into silverware.

"I'm very happy, it was all wonderful," he said. "My team supported me a lot. I'm happy we won, that we advanced, and that I scored. Now we move on to win the cup." His goal and comments captured the mood of a group that believes progress this season is possible.

The night carried a negative note for Lazio as Pedro suffered a serious-looking injury near the end of the first half. Pedro left the field on a stretcher after receiving treatment. Despite that setback, Lazio closed out the match, held firm in extra time, and then handled the shoot-out with composure.