Two years after that painful final, the 'Dea' got their revenge. They hadn't faced each other again in the Italian Cup, and Raffaele Palladino's side had been nursing a grudge ever since. They settled it in spectacular fashion, with a thrashing of Luciano Spalletti's Juventus, who had only lost twice since the new coach's arrival around November 2025.

They did so while also settling other scores. They also got revenge on Dutch player Teun Koopmeiners, whom they consider a traitor for having moved to Turin.

Almost no team had inflicted such damage on this new Juventus side as Atalanta did. It was almost an onslaught that began with a stroke of luck, as the opening goal came from the penalty spot after a VAR review. The image left no doubt: a handball by Bremer, who in just four days went from hero to villain. From scoring a brace against Parma in Serie A to committing a penalty with an outstretched arm that made the task much harder for his team.

Gianluca Scamacca made no mistake from the spot half an hour into the game, initiating the path to the semifinals. Two more blows were yet to come, both in the second half, in the final minutes. This followed some sporadic flashes from a Juventus side that, early on, had Conceicao as their most dangerous player. The Portuguese even managed to hit the crossbar.

Juventus failed to capitalize on their chances and ultimately paid the price. In the 77th minute, a high press from De Roon led to a swift counter-attack. Bellanova on the wing delivered a low cross, and Kamaldeen Sulemana tucked it in at the far post to seal the victory. The same 'modus operandi' was repeated in the 85th minute, just eight minutes later. Another high ball recovery, this time by Bernasconi from the other flank, ignited another dangerous counter. Krstovic held up play and laid it off to Mario Pašalić. The Croatian beat Perin, igniting celebrations in Bergamo.

In the semifinals, the 'Dea' will face the winner of Bologna vs. Lazio. Palladino's side continues to grow, approaching the European qualification spots in Serie A week by week, positions currently held by a Juventus team sitting in fourth place. On the other side of the cup bracket, Inter Milan also reached the semifinals and will face the winner of Napoli vs. Como 1907.

K. Sulemana

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