AC Milan 0-1 Bologna: Ndoye ends Italiano final pain by securing Coppa Italia crown

Bologna claimed just their third Coppa Italia title after Dan Ndoye's second-half strike proved decisive in a 1-0 final win over AC Milan.

Ndoye pounced on an opportune rebound to score what turned out to be the winner in the 53rd minute, as Bologna revelled in Coppa glory for the first time since 1974.

Wednesday's triumph also marked something of a redemption story for Bologna head coach Vincenzo Italiano, who had lost three finals in the last two seasons as Fiorentina boss, including the Coppa in 2022-23 against Inter.

Bologna's reward comes not only in the form of a first major trophy in 51 years, with this victory at the Stadio Olimpico sending them into next season's Europa League.

In an entertaining opening, Alex Jimenez miscued an early chance from Rafael Leao's fourth-minute cutback, while Mike Maignan was forced into a smart save by Santiago Castro's header at the other end.

Bologna survived another scare as goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski clawed away when Luka Jovic pounced on Sam Beukema's mistake, with Christian Pulisic unable to capitalise on the follow-up.

Italiano's side dominated possession from then on, and they were finally rewarded after the interval as Ndoye side-stepped a tackle before seeing a fortuitous rebound fall his way to convert past Maignan.

A surging run from Youssouf Fofana was the closest Milan came to an immediate response before substitute Santiago Gimenez fired tamely at the untested Skorupski.

Ndoye flashed wide in another show of Bologna's continued counter-attacking threat, though Italiano soon sent on defensive reinforcements to see out a landmark moment in Rossoblu history.

Data Debrief: Milan miss double chance

Sergio Conceicao's Milan, who won the Supercoppa Italiana in January against Inter, missed the chance to win two trophies in a single season for the first time since 2007-08.

Milan had won four consecutive matches across all competitions for the first time this season, heading into this clash with real confidence, but they ultimately fell well short.

In stark contrast, Bologna had not won in their last three matches, but they delivered at the right time in what was just their second Coppa final, as the first of their two previous victories came via the old group-stage format in 1969-70.

Riccardo Orsolini would have been expected to do the damage, given he is the first Bologna player to score 15 goals in all competitions in a single season since Marko Arnautovic in 2021-22 (also 15), but it was Ndoye who stepped up at the decisive moment.

The Switzerland international is only the second Bologna player to score in a Coppa final after Giuseppe Savoldi, who netted against Palermo before the Rossoblu claimed the title on penalties after a 1-1 draw in 1974.

Conceicao can have few complaints given his side's lacklustre efforts to get back into the final, though Milan did accumulate 1.41 expected goals (xG) to Bologna's 1.04.

Jovic's first-half chance accounted for a massive 0.73 xG of that tally, with the Milan striker's miss ultimately proving costly in a cagey Rome showpiece.