RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Bologna goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia emerged as the hero in a dramatic penalty shootout, propelling the Rossoblù to a 3-2 spot-kick victory over Inter Milan after a 1-1 draw in Friday's Italian Supercoppa semifinal at King Saud University Stadium. The Coppa Italia holders will face Napoli in Monday's final.
Marcus Thuram needed just 71 seconds to give Inter the lead. Alessandro Bastoni surged forward from inside his own half and delivered a cross to the far post, where Thuram volleyed home to stun Bologna before they had settled into the match.
Bologna found their equalizer in the 35th minute through the penalty spot. After a VAR review confirmed Yann Bisseck's handball in the area, Riccardo Orsolini stepped up and rifled the penalty down the middle, sending Josep Martínez the wrong way to level the contest before halftime.
Inter dominated possession and created the better chances in the second half. Ravaglia denied Luis Henrique's drive early after the break, then produced another save to keep out Federico Dimarco's effort. Bastoni, Stefan de Vrij, and Dimarco all came close but couldn't beat Bologna's inspired goalkeeper. Ravaglia preserved the draw in stoppage time by stopping Giovanni Fabbian's shot, forcing the match to penalties.
The shootout proved decisive for Bologna's tactical substitutions. Ciro Immobile, introduced at the 75th minute alongside Lewis Ferguson and Giovanni Fabbian, converted the crucial fifth penalty. His shot struck the crossbar before crossing the line to secure victory after Ravaglia's heroics.
Ravaglia saved penalties from Bastoni and Ange-Yoan Bonny, while Nicolò Barella blazed Inter's third attempt high over the bar. Bologna also missed twice—Simone Miranda's third penalty sailed over, and Nikola Moro's second effort was saved by Martínez—but Lautaro Martínez and Stefan de Vrij could only convert two for Inter. De Vrij's penalty also struck the crossbar before entering, but it wasn't enough.
Bologna's triumph sets up a Monday final against Serie A champions Napoli, who defeated AC Milan 2-0 in Thursday's semifinal. The Italian Supercoppa, contested between the winners and runners-up of Serie A and Coppa Italia, is being held entirely in Saudi Arabia.