Bologna booked their place in the Supercoppa Italiana final after edging past Inter Milan in a dramatic penalty shootout at the King Saud University Stadium in Saudi Arabia.

Inter couldn’t have asked for a better start, striking inside two minutes with the opening chance of the match. Alessandro Bastoni delivered a superb cross from the left, which Marcus Thuram met with an exquisite first-time volley from inside the area. The finish flew past Federico Ravaglia and marked Thuram’s ninth goal of the season in all competitions.

Bologna almost hit back midway through the first half when Federico Bernardeschi unleashed a powerful effort, only for Josep Martínez to push the ball away from danger.

Just after the half-hour mark, the Rossoblù were handed a route back into the contest following a VAR review, which spotted a handball by Inter defender Yann Bisseck. Riccardo Orsolini stepped up and calmly smashed the penalty straight down the middle to bring the sides level.

Inter nearly restored their advantage before the break when Federico Dimarco’s fierce strike deflected off Jhon Lucumí and drifted agonisingly wide of the post.

The match remained wide open after the interval, with Ravaglia called into action early in the second half to deny both Luis Henrique and Dimarco as Inter pressed for a second goal.

More controversy followed when referee Daniele Chiffi initially awarded Inter a penalty after Ange-Yoan Bonny appeared to be fouled by Torbjørn Heggem. VAR intervened once more, however, and the decision was overturned after a pitch-side review, much to Inter’s frustration.

As the match entered its closing stages, Inter looked increasingly likely to find a winner. Ravaglia produced a sharp near-post save to deny substitute Lautaro Martínez, before Bastoni squandered a golden chance from the resulting corner, steering a free header wide.

Bologna almost snatched victory in stoppage time, but Josep Martínez preserved Inter’s hopes with a fine save to keep out Giovanni Fabbian.

With neither side able to find a decisive goal, the semi-final was settled by penalties. In a tense shootout, Ciro Immobile converted the decisive spot-kick as Bologna prevailed 3–2.

Ravaglia was the hero for the Rossoblù, making two crucial saves to seal the win. Bologna will now face Napoli in Monday’s Supercoppa Italiana final, after Antonio Conte’s side defeated AC Milan 2–0 in the other semi-final.