HISTORIC UPSET: CESC FABREGAS LEADS COMO TO FIRST COPPA ITALIA SEMI-FINAL SINCE 1986
Como are through! Discover how Cesc Fabregas’ side beat Napoli on penalties to reach their first Coppa Italia semi-final in 40 years.
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Cesc Fabregas opened up about what he told his Como squad before they stepped up for penalties against Napoli. He’s been there; he knows what that pressure feels like.
Now Como gets Inter in the Coppa Italia semi-final. The last time Como made it this far, it was 1986. They knocked out Verona, who were Serie A champions. This time, they outlasted Napoli after a 1-1 draw at the Maradona, then held their nerve in the shootout.
Martin Baturina got Como in front, but Antonio Vergara pulled Napoli level just after halftime.
Honestly, Fabregas is dragging this team somewhere special.
It’s huge, it’s historic, but Fabregas isn’t letting anyone get carried away. “There’s another big game coming up. Save the celebrations for the end of the season,” he said.
It’s tough to come down from a night like that, though. They put on some music for ten minutes in the locker room, let it sink in, then flipped the switch. The weekend’s coming, and they want another win.
There was a nervy moment when Jacobo Ramon escaped a second yellow after fouling Rasmus Hojlund. Fabregas saw the risk and pulled him off right away.
“If he makes another foul, he’s off,” Fabregas said. “He’s only 20, still learning. First pro season. When you’re that young, you don’t feel pressure the same way, but sometimes you relax too much.”
He didn’t want to risk playing a man down.
The penalties had their drama. Lukaku missed, Butez stopped Lobotka, and Milinkovic-Savic came up big against Perrone.
Fabregas was honest about the performance. “We were good in the first half, not so much in the second. That keeps happening. We need to fix it.”
He liked that Como came out to attack, not just to cling on. They defended differently, dropping a little deeper because Napoli’s got talent and they can open you up if you’re too aggressive.
“To survive in Serie A, you need a striker like Hojlund,” Fabregas said. Napoli had their injury problems, but so did Como earlier in the year. The squad’s young, but they’re going for it.
At times, they switched to five at the back. Fabregas reminded everyone, “We’re Como, not a big club; we have to lock things down sometimes.”
Before the penalties, Fabregas told his players to soak it all in. Yeah, it was tense, but he wanted them to enjoy it.
“I thanked them for giving me this chance as a coach. Most of them had never faced something like this. I wanted them to believe in themselves, to enjoy it. I’ve been in Napoli’s shoes, the favourites. That brings its own fear. We were also lucky to go first in the shootout; that helped. I thanked them again; they gave everything. Besides Moreno, Morata, and Alberto, our average age is 22.”
Fabregas knows what’s next: stay humble, keep grinding. That’s three wins in a row for Como.
The semi-final is two legs.
On the other side, it’s Atalanta against either Bologna or Lazio.
INSIDE PEDRAG MIJATOVIC’S FIERCE OPPOSITION TO ANDREJ KOSTIC’S AC MILAN TRANSFER
Partizan Vice-President Pedrag Mijatovic opposes Andrej Kostic’s €3.5m AC Milan move, citing a "breach of bylaws."
The vice-president of Partizan Belgrade has voiced strong opposition to the transfer of Andrej Kostic to AC Milan.
For months, Milan showed interest in Kostic as he made a name for himself at Partizan. After the winter transfer window, it seemed the opportunity might have slipped away, yet a deal was eventually reached. Kostic underwent a medical on Sunday ahead of a €3.5 million move to Milan.
This season, the Montenegrin forward has netted 10 goals in the Serbian SuperLiga and appeared in both the Europa Conference League and Europa League qualifiers. While he’s widely seen as a talent for the future, he’s currently making a solid impact as well.
Despite this, there isn’t unanimous support within Partizan for the transfer. In an interview with sportske.net (reported via MilanNews), Predrag Mijatovic, Partizan’s vice-president, made it clear he is against selling Kostic.
“Regarding the news about Andrej Kostić’s move to AC Milan, I feel obliged to address the Partizan supporters and the broader sports community to firmly distance myself from this decision,” he said.
He went on to state that he wasn’t consulted at all during the transfer process and had never even seen AC Milan’s offer. Had he been involved, he insists he would have strongly opposed accepting what he described as a “paltry” sum.
Mijatovic highlighted that this action breaches the club’s bylaws, considering that his role explicitly covers sporting affairs, including transfer policies and player development. He questioned how the club can continue selling its brightest prospects cheaply, even hinting at the possibility of free transfers.
He also mentioned that the rest of the board, led by Rasim Ljajić, knows he’s been in discussions with several top European clubs regarding the club’s young talents, including Kostic. Throughout those talks, he maintained that their players carry multimillion-euro release clauses and that the club’s strategy involves properly nurturing their potential.
Mijatovic worries this sale could set a harmful precedent, undermining the market value of their young talents. As vice-president of one of the region’s biggest sporting institutions, he demands full transparency not only about this transfer but also about the club’s management decisions overall, and he calls for it to happen without delay.
Finally, he urges the board to convene an extraordinary meeting soon, stressing the need to clarify the club’s direction and strategy. He points out that the club must find financial solutions that don’t compromise its interests or violate its principles.
In short, from Mijatovic’s perspective, this transfer raises serious questions about governance and the future approach to developing and managing Partizan’s promising players.
INTER MILAN TITLE LEAD SLASHED TO SIX POINTS AFTER THIRD STRAIGHT BLUNDER
Chivu’s Inter Milan looks vulnerable for the first time in 2026, giving Napoli and Milan hope with nine games left.
For months, watching Inter Milan march toward the title felt about as interesting as waiting for your train. Reliable and dull. You didn’t get the epic battles that made Serie A legendary; you got results right on schedule, week after week, with nobody else really in sight.
Now everything’s flipped. At least as much chaos happens in Serie A.
Inter haven’t won in their last three league matches. That’s not just a blip; it’s woken up AC Milan and Napoli. Suddenly, both teams believe there’s a real chance.
The double-digit gap between Inter and their rivals has shrunk six points to Milan and seven to Napoli. Nine games left. That’s not a comfortable cushion; it’s a challenge.
Don't get me wrong, Inter haven’t completely fallen apart. They’re wobbling, though. It’s that uneasy feeling you get when a champion starts to lose its grip. They grabbed a draw when they should’ve won, dropped points in a match they could've taken, and followed up with a draw that just lacked conviction. Nobody's calling it a disaster yet. It’s less dramatic than that. It’s something worse; it’s uncertainty.
For so long, Inter felt untouchable because they ran games with iron control. They dictated tempo, suffocated their opponents, and then struck when it mattered. But chip away even a little bit of that confidence, and the whole system starts looking fragile, almost human.
Now teams are noticing the cracks. Pressing a little harder. Defending a little more aggressively. That sense that Inter would always find a way has faded.
And in that gap, Milan and Napoli have slipped in.
Milan hasn’t exactly wowed anybody, but they’re relentless. They grind out wins, staying in the hunt without making a fuss. They just edged Torino, 3-2, right after a disappointing loss to Lazio and, before that, a crucial win over Inter. They're close enough now that Inter actually has to look behind them. That's when things get tense.
Napoli’s comeback is messier. They swing between brilliance and frustration, but with four straight league wins, each by just one goal, they’re keeping pace, too.
The biggest shift, honestly, isn’t in the numbers. It’s in the mood. Inter doesn't feel inevitable anymore. That matters way more than any points difference. Title races aren’t about who’s ahead on paper; they’re about nerves, doubts, and those little moments where confidence starts leaking, and one bad result turns into a streak.
Chivu’s team is still on top. They’re still, by most measures, the best squad in Italy. But for the first time this season, they look vulnerable. Milan and Napoli see it.
That’s why a race that seemed locked up in February is wide open now. Not because Inter collapsed, but because they did something even riskier: they gave everyone else hope.
