With 68,000 fans watching on and under the floodlights of the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Inter Milan edged Fiorentina to win their ninth Coppa Italia in history.
A brace from Lautaro Martinez ensured the Nerazzurri came out victorious by a slim margin over the Conference League finalist.
Inter Milan are now back-to-back champions of the Coppa Italia as they defeated Juventus 4-2 in the final of the competition last season.
This domestic cup success could be their first of two trophies for La Beneamata this season as they are only weeks away from the Champions League final clash against Manchester City.
Fiorentina raced into the lead in the 3rd minute courtesy of a goal scored by Nicolas Gonzalez.
Jonathan Ikone put a cross into the area that met Gonzalez free and unmarked at the back post, and the attacker buried the chance presented to him.
However, quick fire goals from Lautaro Martinez in the 29th and 37th minute put Inter Milan in front before the interval.
Both sides couldn’t score any goal in the second 45 minutes even though Vincenzo Italiano’s Fiorentina did all they could to bring the game to parity.
Inter Milan remained dogged and resilient as they saw out the game in comfortable fashion.
Speaking after the Coppa Italia final, Simone Inzaghi expressed his delight at his side’s triumph on Wednesday night.
He said: “I’m happy, we wanted to confirm last season’s win.
“We came up against a top-quality side who caused us problems.
“Initially, we didn’t have the right approach, but then the guys did well to turn it around and score two goals.
“Then Fiorentina got back in it, We’re happy to have beaten a top-class team.
“Now we have the league again, and then Istanbul. Let’s see what happens.
The 47-year-old was also questioned about the match-winning performance of striker Lautaro Martinez and he responded saying: “Lautaro did very well just as his teammates did, I’m happy with what I saw from everyone.”
The Argentine attacker was awarded the most valuable player of the Coppa Italia for his impressive showing for Simone Inzaghi’s side.
Lautaro Martinez alongside Romelu Lukaku were also seen basking in the victory as they made some dance moves in the dressing room of the side.
Prior to their triumph in the Coppa Italia in the 2021/22 season, Inter Milan went more than a decade without winning the title.
They have now confirmed their dominance over the competition winning it in back-to-back fashion.
The Nerazzurri are now joint-second with AS Roma with 9 Coppa Italia titles, 5 behind rivals Juventus.
Inter Milan sit 3rd in the Serie A table with 66 points but they haven’t sealed qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League yet.
They have a tough test in sight on Saturday as they welcome Gian Piero Gasperini’s 5th placed Atalanta who have amassed 61 points.
A win against Atlanta would confirm their qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League, however, a loss might prove costly depending on their result in their last game against Torino.
Match Highlights of the Coppa Italia final below:
