'Everyone deserves credit' - Bologna chief Giovanni Sartori hails club's Coppa Italia win vs AC Milan as a reward for fans, players, and staff after a season full of challenges

Bologna technical director Giovanni Sartori has hailed the club for a sensational finish to the season, after they defeated AC Milan 1-0 in the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday. Sartori heaped praise on the players and the manager, acknowledging their incredible turnaround after a difficult first half of the season.

Speaking to Sky Sport Italia (h/t Sport Mediaset), Sartori said: "There is happiness in having given a cup to the city of Bologna and the fans. Then we also gave it to ourselves, between the president and the lads. I think we deserved it with a great match. We had difficulties at the beginning because [Vincenzo] Italiano's schemes and principles were different from Thiago Motta's, the team took a little longer to metabolise them but then we started and had a great championship. And there are two games left to finish well."

Bologna reached the Coppa Italia final after beating Empoli 5-1 on aggregate over two legs in the semi-finals. A 53rd-minute strike from 24-year-old Swiss winger Dan Ndoye was enough to help the Rossoblu win their first major title since 1974, when they won the Coppa Italia, too. It was an emphatic achievement for Italiano and his troops, having lost manager Motta and key players such as Joshua Zirkzee and Riccardo Calafiori last summer.

Currently in seventh position, Bologna can still qualify for the Champions League if they win their remaining fixtures, hoping other results go their way. They will take on Fiorentina on Sunday, May 18, before finishing their season against Genoa the following weekend.