Record-breaker Mertens sends Napoli to Coppa final against Juve

Dries Mertens’ 122nd Napoli goal sent him to the top of the club’s all time top scorer list, and Napoli past Inter, through to the Coppa Italia final, where they will face the Juventus side of former coach Mauricio Sarri in Rome on Wednesday.

There were low expectations for the game following a snooze-fest in the other semi-final yesterday that saw Juventus progress on away goals after a 0-0 draw at home to Milan, with both sides looking rusty in their first game back since the coronavirus shutdown.

However, Inter and Napoli got off to a flyer in their first game in three months, with Christian Eriksen scoring direct from a corner kick with barely a minute played, curling the ball into the six-yard area and under a bemused David Ospina.

A 1-0 first leg win for Napoli meant the score was level on aggregate, but then, as Inter continued to pile on the pressure, Ospina in the Napoli goal collected the ball from a corner, and sprayed a drop kick to Mertens who exchanged passes with Lorenzo Insigne before firing home.

💙Napoli's all time top goalscorers:

122⚽️: 🇧🇪⬆️DRIES MERTENS⬆️🇧🇪
121⚽️: Marek Hamsik
115⚽️: Diego Maradona
108⚽️: Attila Sallustro
104⚽️: Edinson Cavani#ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/deF8ZTLQTw

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) June 13, 2020

Napoli went in level at half-time and ahead 2-1 on aggregate, and despite an equally entertaining second half, no further goals were scored, meaning Napoli will face Juventus in the final in Rome on Wednesday.

At the Stadio Olympico, Napoli will meet former coach Mauricio Sarri who left for bitter rivals Juventus after a tumultuous, but ultimately successful, season with Chelsea last season.

Napoli began this campaign in underwhelming fashion under the stewardship of Carlo Ancelotti, but since Gennaro Gattuso took charge in November, they’ve seen progress to a first cup final in six years, as well as an impressive 1-1 first leg performance against Barcelona in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

While for Inter, a season that started so promisingly under Antonio Conte looks all but over, with Champions League and Coppa Italia exits now confirmed, a nine point gap to league leaders Juventus looks even more daunting.