This time, Cristian Chivu allowed himself a moment in the spotlight to acknowledge his role in Inter’s success. When the Nerazzurri secured their 21st league title earlier this month, their head coach did his best to stay out of the limelight, thanking the fans before heading to the changing room for a cigarette. At his scheduled post-game press conference, he only stayed long enough to introduce his coaching staff and say it was their turn to take the applause.
It was a selfless gesture, though it might also have reflected that he wasn’t ready to celebrate. In a brief TV interview, Chivu said he was happy for his players, then added: “I don’t want to be a hypocrite, but I’m thinking about the Coppa Italia final.”
That focus clearly paid off. Inter made quick work of Lazio on Wednesday night, completing their third domestic double with a 2-0 win that was effectively over by the 35th minute.
The first goal came in under 15 minutes, when Adam Marusic headed into his own net from Federico Dimarco’s corner. Then Denzel Dumfries took advantage of a lapse from Lazio left-back Nuno Tavares, stole the ball, and squared it for Lautaro Martínez to tap in at the back post.
There was no real danger of a comeback. Gustav Isaksen fired a half-chance wide just before halftime, and Tijjani Noslin did the same from a better position near the penalty spot around the hour mark. Lazio’s best chance came in the 75th minute, when substitute Boulaye Dia got goal-side of Manuel Akanji, but the ball bounced awkwardly and his shot hit goalkeeper Josep Martínez in the face.
In the end, it was a mismatch: the best team in Italy easily brushed aside opponents who didn’t have the tools to compete. The final was held at Lazio’s home ground, the Stadio Olimpico, but Inter had already beaten them 3-0 there in a league game just four days earlier. Sure, the lineups were a bit different—Maurizio Sarri made five changes to his starting XI—but the gap in quality was largely the same.
Even Lazio’s sporting director, Angelo Fabiani, admitted before kick-off: “To be honest, we didn’t expect to reach this final.” Lazio’s season has been chaotic from the start. Sarri returned to the club in the summer, only to find out after signing a three-year contract that they would be under a transfer embargo—a fact owner Claudio Lotito knew but didn’t tell him.
In January, Lazio sold two key veterans, Taty Castellanos and Mateo Guéndouzi. That finally allowed them to make some signings, and 23-year-old midfielder Kenneth Taylor, brought in from Ajax, looks promising. But Sarri’s team has still only scored 39 goals in 36 league games. Inter has 85.
The champions simply have better players. Martínez is Serie A’s top scorer with 17 goals, despite injuries limiting him to 25 starts, and Marcus Thuram—whose pressure helped force Marusic’s own goal—is joint-second with 13. Dimarco, who took the corner, has 18 assists and is a strong candidate for Serie A MVP. Dumfries, who set up Martínez’s goal, was out for three months but has been excellent since his return.
None of this should downplay their achievement. Looking at the big picture, Inter have earned their place as Italy’s dominant team through a more coherent long-term plan and better recruitment than their rivals. And on a smaller scale, this double was never guaranteed. The team Chivu took over from Simone Inzaghi had chased a quadruple and ended up with nothing.
When asked on Wednesday if there had been any key moments in the journey…After Inter were knocked out of the Club World Cup by Fluminense last June, Chivu’s mind went back to a meeting he had with his players. The team was exhausted and seemed to be falling apart. Martínez had been making barely veiled public criticisms of teammates, including Hakan Calhanoglu, who left their training base in the US early to get treatment for injuries back home.
“We were honest with each other that day,” Chivu said. “I found a group of players who were ready to give everything for the team.”
He said every player deserved a rating of “dieci e lode” – 10 out of 10 with honors – and compared them to Nadia Comaneci, the Romanian gymnast who became the first to score a perfect 10 at the Olympics in Montreal 50 years ago.
But what score does Chivu deserve? He joins Roberto Mancini and José Mourinho as the only managers to lead Inter to a domestic double. Neither of them achieved that in their first season in charge.
Chivu’s place in Inter’s history was already secure. He was part of the treble-winning team under Mourinho in 2010. Now he’s also the manager who delivered their 10th Coppa Italia win, putting them alongside Juventus – who have 15 wins – as the only teams to reach double figures.
Explaining why he stayed out of the spotlight after winning the Scudetto, Chivu said he had “lost my ego” after facing a “life-or-death situation,” referring to the skull fracture he suffered while playing for Inter during that same 2009-10 season.
Even on Wednesday, he often thought of others. When asked about difficult moments, he said he was upset that his children had to read harsh comments about him in the press during a rough start to the season.
But he also allowed himself to reflect on his own journey. Before taking his first senior management role at Parma last season, he had spent six years coaching different age groups in Inter’s academy.
“I’ve spent a lifetime on football pitches, in changing rooms, trying to understand the game. I worked in the youth system for a long time, and it had to be a journey. I started from the bottom and learned a thousand things that have helped me along the way.”
His biggest lesson might have been the most obvious. “Winning two trophies is never something to take for granted,” Chivu said. “It’s never easy.” Not even when you make it look that way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the statement Inters latest double was never guaranteed even if the Coppa Italia final looked like a mismatch
BeginnerLevel Questions
Q What does the double mean for Inter
A It means winning two major trophies in the same season the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia
Q Why did people think the Coppa Italia final was a mismatch
A Because Inter was the stronger more famous team on paper and they were expected to easily beat their opponent in the final
Q If it looked like a mismatch why wasnt the double guaranteed
A Because a singlematch final is unpredictable The underdog can have a great day the favorite can have a bad day or a single mistake can decide the game Winning a cup final is never a sure thing
IntermediateLevel Questions
Q What specific factors made the double uncertain for Inter despite their strength
A Key factors included fatigue from a long season injuries to important players the pressure of being the favorite and the fact that cup finals are often tight lowscoring affairs where luck plays a big role
Q How did the Coppa Italia final actually play out Did it prove the mismatch was wrong
A Yes it proved the mismatch was wrong Fiorentina played with high intensity and nearly scored first Inter had to work very hard and the game was decided by a single goal after a tense competitive match It was anything but easy
Q What is the difference between winning the league and winning a cup final in terms of guarantees
A The league is a 38game marathon where the best team almost always wins in the end A cup final is a 90minute sprint where any team can beat any other on the day The league is more guaranteed for the strongest team the cup is not
AdvancedLevel Questions
Q From a tactical perspective why do cup finals often defy prematch expectations
A Teams in finals often abandon their usual style for a more defensive counterattacking approach The underdog sits deep absorbs pressure and looks for set pieces or counter
