inter-5-1.jpg
Getty Images

ROME -- What looked to be a difficult night for Inter just wasn't in the end. After winning the Supercoppa Italiana against AC Milan, Simone Inzaghi team' won 2-1 against Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome to claim the Coppa Italia. This is Inter's second trophy of the season, still with the possibility of making it an unforgettable one with the UEFA Champions League final against Manchester City on June 10. 

Inzaghi has already won four trophies (two Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa) in his first two seasons at the club. Inter won their ninth Coppa Italia ever, the second in a row, and become the second team with most Coppa Italia trophies along with AS Roma (9) and behind Juventus (14). On the other hand, Fiorentina will have the chance to play European soccer next season since they will face West Ham on June 7 for the UEFA Conference League final. Before beating Fiorentina, Inter knocked out Parma in the round of 16, Atalanta in the quarterfinals and Juventus in the semifinals.

Fiorentina had a good start to the game and scored the opening goal after two minutes with a nice counterattack and the goal scored by Argentinian winger Nico Gonzalez. Inter tried to react nervously with two chances missed by Edin Dzeko, even if Fiorentina were able also to find another possible goal with Sofyan Amrabat. 

The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico heated up after fifteen minutes when the Nerazzurri ultras protested the club's handling of the ticketing for the UCL final and didn't show much support for the team, opting to express their displeasure, but that quickly changed. 

The renewed support from the fans clearly gave an extra boost to the team and Lautaro Martinez, who scored both goals in the comeback win. With the performance, he passed the 100 goals scored mark with the Italian club since he joined in the summer of 2018. 

Fiorentina had a good start to the second half and had two chances with Arthur Cabral and Gaetano Castrovilli, and that was when Inzaghi opted to sub in Romelu Lukaku. Inter controlled the game in the final part and didn't let Fiorentina create and control the ball. The Viola tried went for it all with two number nines, as former Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic came in for the last fifteen minutes of the game. Inter pushed to try to score the third one, taking advantage of Lukaku's pace, but it was Fiorentina that had the two most concrete chances of the second half with both Cabral and Jovic. Inter managed to keep the result until the end to celebrate another domestic crown.

What a season for Lautaro

Lautaro's season has been incredible so far, as the Argentinian striker followed up winning the 2022 World Cup with Argentina by scoring 27 goals in all competitions so far. Most of them were crucial, just like Wednesday's brace against Fiorentina or the goal scored against AC Milan in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals. Lautaro's improvement has been outstanding this season, as he became the captain for many games played and also carried his teammates when players like Lukaku or Dzeko were not performing at their best. The feeling is that this season, especially after the 2022 World Cup, marked a crucial moment for his development as a key player for Inter.

What's next for Inzaghi

Despite the criticism and the rumors of a possible sacking in the past months, Simone Inzaghi was able once again to overturn his situation and he's now back in full control of his future as Inter coach. The former Lazio manager won four trophies in two years with Inter. Despite missing the two Serie A titles to city rivals AC Milan and Napoli this season, we can definitely consider him a winner, especially when it comes to the cups. The European journey of Inter has been surprising this season and if the Nerazzurri lose, that game won't change the feeling about his second season as they are the big underdogs.

Looking ahead, Inter need to find a way to perform the same way in Serie A since the Nerazzurri already lost twelve games this campaign and still have to qualify for the next edition of the Champions League. Next season, Inter have to compete to win the Scudetto, and Inzaghi knows that. Despite the criticism around him this spring, the club and the fans know that he's the right person in the right place. He showed it once again on Wednesday.