Italian Supercup: Beat Inter Milan on penalties, Bologna vs Napoli in the final

Bologna qualified for the Italian Super Cup final after beating Inter Milan 3-2 in a penalty shootout drama in the semi-final. (X/@BolognaFC1909en)

JAKARTA - Bologna made a surprise to qualify for the Italian Supercopa final after eliminating Inter Milan in the semi-final match held at the King Saud University Stadium, Saturday, December 20, 2025 WIB. Defeating Inter 3-2 (1-1) in a penalty shootout, Bologna challenged Napoli in the summit on Tuesday, December 23, 2025 WIB.

Inter failed to take advantage of the opportunity to defeat Bologna. Even Marcus Thuram's early goal felt useless because after taking a 1-0 lead when the match was only 72 seconds, Inter never managed to add a goal.

Their attacks always failed and even Bologna was able to equalize in the second half. When the match ended in a draw, both teams took a penalty shootout.

Vincenzo Italiano's team managed to overcome the pressure and three of his players were able to carry out their duties. Meanwhile, Inter only had two players, Lautaro Martinez and Stefan de Vrij, who managed to complete the execution.

Veteran striker Ciro Immobile, who has been out for a long time due to a thigh injury, was the decisive factor in the victory. The former Lazio striker became the fifth kicker and successfully carried out the task that brought Rossoblu to victory 3-2.

"I suffered for three and a half months. But I have a big exit that supports me," said Immobile, who was almost absent all year due to injury. Regarding Napoli, who face the Coppa Italia champions in the final, Immobile admitted that the opponent team was at its best.

They are also more favored than Bologna who have never won the Supercopa Italiana.

"I watched their previous match. Admittedly, Napoli is in top condition. But in one game, anything can happen," said the former Italian national team striker.

"Of course we want to lift this trophy," Immobile said again.

Meanwhile, Inter midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan expressed his regret for failing to take advantage of the opportunity to kill Bologna. After taking a 1-0 lead, I Nerazzurri should have been able to add a goal. However, they were unable to dismantle the opponent's defense.

"We should have killed them sooner because we had the chance to score. But we failed to do it," said Mkhitaryan. In the match, Inter made an impressive start when Alessandro Bastoni managed to snatch the ball from Riccardo Orsolini.

He then delivered a cross which was met with Thuram's acrobatic volley which beat goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia.

1-0 ahead, Inter tried to put pressure to add a goal. Only the effort of the team coached by Cristian Chicu did not bear fruit.

On the other hand, Bologna got the opportunity to equalize when defender Yann Bisseck committed a foul during a scramble for the ball in the Inter penalty area.

Bisseck's arm touched the ball as he was about to head it. The referee reviewed the incident via VAR. As a result, Bisseck was declared a handball and the referee pointed to the white spot. Orsolini paid for his mistake by finishing the execution. The score was 1-1 and remained so until the first half ended despite both teams taking turns to pressure.

Entering the second half, Inter did not slow down the game. Only, Bologna was also able to keep up with it. Inter actually had the opportunity to add a goal from the penalty when defender Torbjorn Heggem was considered to have knocked down Inter forward Ange Bonny while welcoming the ball from Mkhitaryan in the 56th minute.

Referee Daniele Chiffi again reviewed the incident via VAR. It turned out, Heggem did not commit a foul but Bonny who was seen spreading his legs to block him. Chiffi also canceled the penalty.

No goal was created until the end of the match. According to the rules in the Italian Supercopa, the match was immediately resolved by a penalty shootout. Interestingly, a total of five players from both teams failed to complete the execution. From the Inter camp, Bastoni, Nicolo Barella and Bonny failed to do so.

Meanwhile, the Bologna players who were able to carry out their duties included Lewis Ferguson, Jonathan Rowe and Immobile who brought the team to the final. The final score was 3-2 for Bologna.