BERGAMO, Italy :Bologna substitute Santiago Castro scored two minutes after coming on to secure a late 1-0 win at Atalanta on Tuesday, sending them into the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia for the first time in 26 years.
Bologna, who have not won the competition since 1974, will face the winner of the Feb. 26 quarter-final between Juventus and Empoli in the semis.
“We’re getting good results in the league and we had prepared well for today, we were rewarded,” Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano told Mediaset.
Hosts Atalanta started well with Charles De Ketelaere getting off an early shot but Bologna keeper Lukasz Skorupski managed to send it out for a corner.
De Ketelaere found Ederson with a cross from the left just before the half-hour mark but the Brazilian’s shot was deflected by defender Charalampos Lykogiannis.
Bologna almost took the lead just before the break when Dan Ndoye ran in from the right to set up Tommaso Pobega, but the AC Milan loanee’s shot took a deflection off Ederson and went through to keeper Rui Patricio.
A brilliant save by Skorupski prevented Atalanta from taking the lead in the 51st minute, with the keeper’s reflex save keeping out Raoul Bellanova’s first-time scorcher from inside the box.
Patricio pulled off an equally good save on the hour mark when Thijs Dallinga found Pobega in the box. As Pobega went for an angled shot, the Portuguese keeper dived to get a touch on it and avert the danger.
Soon after Castro replaced Dallinga, Lykogiannis delivered a perfect free kick into the box for Argentine striker Castro, who fired home with his first touch of the match in the 80th minute, sending the away fans into a frenzy.
“All this is for the family, I miss them a lot,” Castro said.
“I’m happy to have helped the team with the goal… the Champions League served to improve, we came back to play even stronger in Italy.”
Atalanta, who are third in Serie A, pushed for an equaliser but the Bologna defence held firm to see out the game.
Bologna, seventh in the league, visit Lecce on Sunday.
AC Milan host AS Roma in the second quarter-final on Wednesday.
