ROME, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Atalanta roared into Coppa Italia final for the first time in 23 years on Thursday, beating Fiorentina 2-1 at home and advancing with 5-4 on aggregate.
In the 1996 final, Atalanta lost to Fiorentina. The last time for Atalanta to lift the trophy was in 1963.
At Atleti Azzurri d'Italia stadium in the northern city of Bergamo, the second leg match was off to a rousing start as Fiorentina forward Luis Muriel scored in the third minute. Atalanta followed up in the 14th with a penalty kick goal by attacking midfielder Josip Ilicic, a former Fiorentina player who joined the Bergamo team in 2017.
Both sides fought valiantly as a torrential downpour drenched the stadium in the second half. Atalanta captain Alejandro "Papu" Gomez, now in his fifth consecutive season with the home team, clinched the match with a goal in the 69th minute.
"It's an enormous emotion," Gomez told RAI public television. "It was our idea and our objective since we eliminated Juve," he said in reference to the quarterfinals, when Atalanta upset title holder Juventus 3-0 in January.
"There's a lot of regret," commented a crestfallen Vincenzo Montella, whom Fiorentina recently named for a second stint as manager following Stefano Pioli's resignation earlier this month. "The team plays with all its heart, too bad we lost on a completely avoidable penalty kick."
The venue with capacity of over 20,000 seats, which Atalanta purchased from the city of Bergamo in 2017, was packed with enthusiastic home fans.
Some 2,000 Fiorentina fans who traveled to Bergamo clashed with police outside the stadium, leaving one civilian and two cops injured, RAI reported.
The match was preceded by one minute of silence for the late Mino Favini, the much-loved Atalanta talent scout who died on April 23 at 83.
Atalanta now face Lazio, which edged past AC Milan on Wednesday after a 1-0 win away in the second leg of their semifinal that also ended Milan's hopes of winning a major trophy since they last claimed the Serie A title in 2011.
The Coppa Italia final will be played at Rome's Olimpico stadium on May 15.
