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Lazio youngster Motta becomes Coppa Italia hero with four penalties saved against Atalanta

·By Junior Yekini
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Edoardo Motta saved four consecutive penalties as Lazio beat Atalanta in a dramatic shootout to reach the Coppa Italia final, and the 21-year-old has opened up about the emotional moment in his first major interview since the feat in Bergamo.

Motta denied Gianluca Scamacca, Davide Zappacosta, Mario Pašalić and Charles de Ketelaere from the spot as Lazio won 2-1 in the shootout after the tie finished 3-3 on aggregate.

The young goalkeeper, who only joined the club from Serie B side Reggiana in January, was seen in tears at full time.

Speaking to TG1, he was candid about the emotion: "I let myself go a bit with emotion, something I never want to show. Staying strong defines the person you are more than being overly emotional."

His path into goalkeeping began young. "I liked being a goalkeeper and throwing myself into the gravel. My father thought I was a bit crazy, but I didn't feel any pain."

His idol growing up was former Chelsea and Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Čech. "I told my parents I wanted to be like him, that I wanted to try. They gave me strength and made so many sacrifices to make sure I'm here today."

On his ambitions going forward: "I never want to stop learning, improving, and growing. I want to try to reach as high as I can, without regrets or remorse, enjoying life without taking anything away from myself."

Lazio face Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia final on 13 May.