Lazio’s 2025/26 has been an unmitigated disaster. After missing out on European football last season for the first time in seven years, The Eagles brought former manager Maurizio Sarri back to the club after 15 months away. But despite the return of the highly rated Italian boss, off-season drama has left a real mark on their campaign.
Fans of the club have been unhappy with the way owner Claudio Lotito has been running things for some time now, with some fans even refusing to attend the Stadio Olimpico until things change. The sale of highly rated midfielder Matteo Guendouzi to Fenerbahce for some €27m only added fuel to the fire, as did Taty Castellanos’ €29m move to West Ham United. But despite the turmoil, Sarri’s men have managed to find some solace in the Coppa Italia.
Lazio’s Coppa Italia Run
Lazio have made their way to the Semi-Finals of Italy’s premier cup competition for the second time in three seasons, with only Atalanta standing in their way of a first final appearance since 2020. The two have already squared off in the first leg of that Semi-Final, with the Eagles forced to settle for a 2-2 draw after twice surrendering the lead. However, an improvement in form in recent weeks has led online betting sites not to completely write off their chances ahead of the second leg in Bergamo at the end of April.
The latest Bovada soccer odds list Lazio as the 13/2 longshot of the four remaining teams in the competition, with Inter the even money favourite, followed by Atalanta at 3/1, and Como at 5/1. But considering the tight pricing of all four teams, not all hope is lost in the Eternal City. Sarri’s side have won their last three games on the spin in Serie A, with back-to-back wins against Scudetto-seeking AC Milan and high-flying Bologna raising hopes of a revival.
So, could that revival culminate with Coppa Italia glory? The club is at the Semi-Finals stage already, just one game away from a date with destiny. But what happened the last two times when Lazio made it to this stage of the competition? Let’s take a look.
Arkadiusz Milik’s Late Heartbreaker
Lazio’s most recent Coppa Italia Semi-Finals came two years ago. Much like this season, Sarri was manager for much of the campaign, helping the club to the final four, but resigning before he was able to lead the club into battle against Juventus. Current maligned Spurs manager Igor Tudor was tasked with managing the Eagles until the end of the season, including in their Coppa Italia Semi-Final, and the Croatian boss nearly pulled off the impossible.
The Bianconeri claimed a comfortable 2-0 victory in the first leg in Turin, with second-half goals from Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic seemingly putting Juve into the final. In the second leg, however, Lazio would come out swinging. A brace from Castellanos had the contest level at 2-2 on aggregate barely five minutes into the second half, and the Eagles looked poised to complete a famous comeback.
The third goal that would have given them the outright lead of the tie never came, though, and that left the hosts ripe for the picking for a Juventus smash-and-grab. Just seven minutes before full time, disaster struck when Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik poked home from close range to break Laziali hearts. That goal was enough to secure the Bianconeri’s spot in the final, a final they would win thanks to Vlahovic’s winner against Atalanta.
Joaquin Correa Leads Lazio All the Way
Five years prior, Lazio were at the Semi-Finals once again, and this time around, manager Simone Inzaghi would make no mistake. His talismanic captain Ciro Immobile was the Eagles’ shining light all season, hammering in a mighty 39 goals in all competitions. 36 of them came in the league as the capital city outfit finished fourth and secured a Champions League return.
But it was the Coppa Italia that the Laziali truly craved. Lazio had become somewhat of a cup specialist under Inzaghi, winning the Super Coppa the year before. However, in order to secure their spot in the Coppa Italia final, they would have to find their way past AC Milan across two legs.
A nervy first leg in the Olimpico finished goalless, effectively handing the Rossoneri the advantage ahead of the second leg on home turf. But with Milan fans already celebrating having one foot in the final, Lazio would rock up to the San Siro and upset the odds. Joaquin Correa’s goal on the hour mark broke the deadlock, and Milan were unable to respond.
Inzaghi’s men emerged with the 1-0 aggregate victory, and they weren’t finished there. Late goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Correa again secured a famous 2-0 win against Atalanta in the final, securing Lazio’s second Coppa Italia title in three seasons, as well as their third straight campaign in which they had secured silverware, their best run since the turn of the millennium.
