Here Gigi Buffon conceded the 1:2 hit. Previously he held outstanding. © ANSA / MATTEO BAZZI
The round of 16 opener of the Coppa Italia was tough: Gigi Buffon and his Serie B club Parma sniffed a huge sensation against Inter. In the end, the favorite prevailed after extra time.
11 January 2023
From: det
The roles were clearly assigned in advance. Here world club Inter, which is one of the best teams in Europe and also enjoyed home advantage. Second division team Parma, who are sixth in Serie B – by the way, one place and one point ahead of FC Südtirol. And yet Gigi Buffon’s club brought the big Inter to the brink of defeat, but in the end the Milanese won 2-1 after extra time.
Parma took the lead in the first half thanks to a dream goal from Juric, who smashed the ball into the top corner from 20 metres. The weak Inter, which initially operated with many reserves, found no antidote to the tactically well-adjusted underdog. Defeat was becoming more and more apparent until Lautaro Martinez came on the scene and made it 1-1 with a deflected shot in the 88th minute. It went into extra time and Acerbi’s stunning header from the edge of the box gave Inter the lucky punch as they progressed to the quarter-finals.
Parma sniffed the sensation against Inter. © ANSA / MATTEO BAZZI
A highlight of the evening occurred shortly before the end of the regular season. With the score at 1-1, Inter’s Dzeko finished in the penalty area, but Gigi Buffon saved the goal with a world-class reflex. It’s unbelievable what the goalkeeper legend can do at the age of almost 45 (Gigi’s birthday is on January 28th).
Next up is the Coppa Italia on Wednesday when Milan meets Torino.
The round of 16 pairings
Inter – Parma 2:1
Milan – Turin (11.01.)
Fiorentina – Sampdoria (12.01.)
Rome – Genoa (12.01.)
Naples – Cremonese (17.01.)
Atalanta – Spezia (19.01.)
Lazio – Bologna (19.01.)
Juventus – Monza (19.01.)