Riyadh|Dec 20: Bologna clinched a dramatic win over Inter Milan in Riyadh on Friday night, booking their spot in the EA SPORTS FC™ Italian Supercup final thanks to a 3-2 win on penalties after the sides had played out a 1-1 draw in normal time.
France international Marcus Thuram opened the scoring inside just two minutes at Al Awwal Park before Ricardo Orsolini equalised with the first penalty of the game 10 minutes before half-time.
There would be no winner inside 90 minutes as the game headed straight for penalties. It was Bologna who eventually held their nerve, with Ciro Immobile the hero after slotting home the winning penalty and earning a showdown with Napoli on Monday 22 November in the 2025-26 Italian Supercup final.
After leading his team to the final in their Supercup debut, Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano said: “Anything can happen in the final and we know we’re going to face a Napoli with high quality players. We must perform at the top level and be up to the moment.
” We’re happy and proud to reach the final, we hope we can recover very fast and play a good final. We have the capability and desire to win after being successful tonight.”
Bologna midfielder Giovanni Fabbian praised his team’s togetherness in earning their spot in the showpiece and now expects a stern test against Napoli.
“In this team, we are one group, one unit,” said Fabbian. “We always pay attention to the details, and we’re delighted with the result.
“I believe [the final]’s going to be a totally different match. It’s a final and you have to prepare differently. Napoli are going to be a tough team to face.”
The 22-year-old reserved special praise for match-winner Immobile, saying: “Ciro is a role-model for the whole team, he sacrifices for the whole team and helps the young players a lot.”
Although Inter’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan couldn’t hide his disappointment in defeat, he was quick to praise his opponents.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t win today but let’s not forget that Bologna played very well, they deserve it,” he said.
“It’s a disappointment but you have to be patient, start working hard, focus on the future and keep improving. We have a very good team, very good players. We have all the tools to succeed and achieve our goals.”
In a clash of last year’s champions, Scudetto-winning Napoli will face Coppa Italia champions Bologna at Al Awwal Park, with kick off at 10pm on Monday 22 December.