Motta saves four as Lazio beat Atalanta on penalties to reach Coppa Italia final
BERGAMO, Italy, April 22 : Lazio reached the Coppa Italia final as goalkeeper Edoardo Motta saved four penalties to secure a 2-1 shootout victory over Atalanta after a 1-1 draw in Bergamo on Wednesday left the tie level at 3-3 on aggregate.
Motta emerged as the hero in the shootout, saving all but one of the Atalanta attempts, with Kenneth Taylor and Gustav Isaksen finding the net for Lazio to send them through to the final.
The sides began on level terms following a 2-2 draw in Rome in early March, though the return fixture started poorly with a stale opening half featuring few clear scoring opportunities.
Ederson thought he had secured the breakthrough for Atalanta shortly after the hour mark, converting a rebound following a goalmouth scramble. However, the goal was disallowed after a lengthy VAR review for a foul on Motta in the build-up, drawing loud boos from the home crowd.
Lazio snatched an 84th-minute lead when Alessio Romagnoli pounced to fire home from close range against a static Atalanta defence. The drama intensified two minutes later as Mario Pasalic netted a swift equaliser for Atalanta, drilling a low, deflected strike into the far corner from outside the box.
Deep into stoppage time, Gianluca Scamacca saw his powerful header tipped onto the far post by Motta before the ball bounced clear, sending the match into extra time.
Giacomo Raspadori had a further Atalanta effort disallowed for an earlier offside as the match remained deadlocked through extra time and proceeded to a penalty shootout where Lazio prevailed.
They will face Inter Milan in the final after they overturned a two-goal deficit to beat Como 3-2 at home on Tuesday, winning the tie on aggregate following a goalless first leg. The final is scheduled to take place on May 13.
