Lazio Secure Coppa Italia Final After Dramatic Penalty Shootout Vs Atalanta

Lazio reached the Coppa Italia final after a tense penalty shoot-out win over Atalanta, with Edoardo Motta saving four spot-kicks. The semi-final finished 1-1 on the night and 3-3 on aggregate at the New Balance Arena, before Maurizio Sarri’s team edged the shoot-out 2-1 to book a meeting with Inter.

Motta decided the tie during the penalties, where only three of the nine attempts found the net. The goalkeeper denied Gianluca Scamacca, Davide Zappacosta, Mario Pasalic and Charles de Ketelaere from the spot. Those interventions sent the Biancocelesti into their first Coppa Italia showpiece since lifting the trophy seven years earlier.

The contest had already swung several times before the decisive shoot-out. Atalanta believed the tie had tilted their way just after the hour, when Ederson finished from close range. However, VAR intervened and ruled the goal out, as replays showed Motta had both hands on the ball before Nikola Krstovic challenged.

Lazio struck first late in normal time, against the run of play. In the 84th minute, Alessio Romagnoli met Mattia Zaccagni’s corner with a clean volley to give the visitors the lead. Atalanta replied quickly, as Pasalic calmly finished two minutes later to restore parity and keep La Dea alive.

Both sides created openings across the 120 minutes but struggled to settle the tie. Motta produced a crucial save from a Scamacca header to ensure the match continued into extra-time. Another VAR review then denied Giacomo Raspadori what would have been a winning goal, leaving penalties as the only route to decide the semi-final.

Atalanta had periods of clear control during open play, yet could not turn pressure into victory. Possession heavily favoured La Dea, who often pinned Lazio back and circulated the ball with patience. Sarri’s side instead relied on solidity, set-piece threat and Motta’s interventions to survive long spells without the ball.

Coppa Italia final: data and stats from Atalanta vs Lazio

The numbers underline how strongly Atalanta played despite exiting the competition. La Dea posted an expected goals value of 2.11 from 29 shots, while Lazio created 0.78 xG from only eight efforts. Just one of those Lazio attempts hit the target, yet the visitors still advanced on penalties.

Atalanta’s control also appeared in the passing and possession statistics. La Dea completed 66.2% possession and attempted 830 passes across normal time and extra-time. That passing figure is the highest recorded by any team in a single match in this season’s Coppa Italia, highlighting the scale of Lazio’s defensive and goalkeeping effort.

Lazio now prepare to face Inter in the Coppa Italia final, carrying momentum from a resilient display in Bergamo. Atalanta exit with dominant metrics but no place in Rome, while Motta’s shoot-out display and Romagnoli’s late goal stand out as the decisive contributions in a finely balanced tie.