January 11, (THEWILL) – Atalanta reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over AC Milan at the San Siro. Dutch midfielder, Teun Koopmeiners, was the hero for the visitors, netting a brace to overturn Rafael Leao’s early opener for the hosts.
In a rematch of their thrilling Serie A encounter last month, both sides named strong XIs despite injuries ruling out several key players. Milan welcomed Matteo Gabbia back from loan to shore up their defence, while Atalanta missed the likes of El Bilal Toure and Ademola Lookman who are in Cote d’Ivoire for AFCON.
After dominating the early exchanges, that saw the sending off of visiting manager Gian Piero Gasperini for overreacting, Milan took the lead in the 45th minute courtesy of a superb counterattacking goal finished off by Leao. However, Koopmeiners equalised for Atalanta within 60 seconds, converting from just inside the area after good work down the right from Emil Holm.
The second half saw end-to-end action and plenty of controversy around penalties, but it was Koopmeiners who ultimately decided the tie in the 59th minute. The 25-year-old slotted home confidently from the spot to complete his brace after Atalanta were awarded a contentious penalty.
Milan piled on late pressure as they searched for an equaliser, but Gasperini’s men held firm to secure their place in the final four. They will now face Fiorentina over two legs for a spot in May’s showpiece final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
