The 16th final, Calha's 50 goals: the stats from Inter vs. Como

A TEAM EFFORT

Inter's display of character and passion against Como was a mark of how the Nerazzurri can pull together and give it their all in this final stretch of the season. Since the international break, they've recorded four consecutive wins across all competitions, scoring at least three goals each time, something they hadn't managed since May 2022. The win over Como (Inter's seventh in the Coppa Italia against the Lariani, against whom the Nerazzurri are unbeaten in the competition) came down to the impact of the substitutions. This has been the case throughout the season, reflecting how every player is ready to make an impact when called upon. There are two Inter players who, across all competitions this season, have been involved in three goals after coming off the bench, on par with Bayern Munich and Rayo Vallecano: Federico Dimarco (one goal and two assists against Pisa in January in Serie A) and Petar Sucic, who made his mark on the semi-final against Como with two assists and the decisive goal.

CALHA HITS 50 Hakan Calhanoglu, along with Sucic, truly stood out in the comeback against Como. The Turkish midfielder gave everyone hope when the situation seemed bleak, scoring in the 69th and 86th minutes. He has now reached the milestone of 50 goals in a Nerazzurri shirt. The connection between Calhanoglu and Sucic was vital: two assists from Petar for Calha's strikes, with the Turkish player returning the favour to make it 3-2. It was the first time since 3 November 2018 that two Inter midfielders have been directly involved in more than two goals in the same match across all competitions. Back then, it was a 5-0 win over Genoa in Serie A (two goals and two assists from Roberto Gagliardini, and one goal plus two assists from João Mário).

Calha scored his fifth brace for Inter, his first in the Coppa Italia, following four in Serie A. They were two very different goals, the first a right-footed strike from outside the box, a Calha classic, and the second a header that found itself in the back of the net after grazing the post on Butez's right. In terms of long-range goals, across all competitions and among players in Europe's top five leagues, only Kylian Mbappe (eight) and Dominik Szoboszlai (seven) have scored more from outside the box than Calhanoglu (six), level with Harry Kane, Igor Paixão, and Antony. Over the last two seasons, only Mbappe (15) has scored more goals from distance than Calhanoglu (10) in all competitions. On the other hand, headers are a lot less common for the Turkish player. Before last night, he had never scored one for Inter, only doing so four times before in his career (2015, 2016, 2019). He timed it perfectly, coming into Como's box before more of his teammates joined. From that point, the Nerazzurri were unstoppable, and Sucic's right-footed goal three minutes later sealed the game. Inter will be heading to Rome for the final showdown, chasing a tenth Coppa Italia and the silver star.