2008–09 Coppa Italia
President Giorgio Napolitano at the center of the photo, after presenting the trophy to Rocchi and Ledesma, welcomes the victory for Lazio after the Cup final in Italy
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| Country | Italy | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 78 | ||
| Defending champions | Roma | ||
| Champions | Lazio (5th title) | ||
| Runners-up | Sampdoria | ||
| Matches played | 79 | ||
| Goals scored | 233 (2.95 per match) | ||
| Top goal scorer(s) | Goran Pandev (Lazio), 6 goals | ||
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| 2007–08 League | |
|---|---|
| Serie A | |
| Serie B | |
| Serie C1 | |
| Serie C2 | |
| Serie D |
The 2008–09 Coppa Italia was the sixty-first season of the tournament. The competition started on 9 August 2008 and ended on 13 May 2009. The radically different format used in the 2007–08 Coppa was abandoned, with the new format more closely resembling earlier editions of the tournament.
The final was played between Lazio and Sampdoria. The match ended with Lazio winning 6–5 on penalties. The first 90 minutes ended in a 1–1 draw, and no goals were scored in extra time. It was Lazio's fifth Coppa Italia title, and first since the 2003–04 edition. With the win, Lazio earned a spot in the play-off round of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League.
In the previous year, the number of teams participating was reduced to only 42: the teams in Serie A and Serie B. For 2008–09, that number was expanded to 78 with the addition of 18 clubs from Lega Pro Prima Divisione (formerly Serie C1), nine clubs from Lega Pro Seconda Divisione (formerly Serie C2) and nine clubs from Serie D. Also, except for the semifinals, all rounds were one-leg fixtures. The one-game final played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, which was first adopted in 2007–08, remained.
Throughout the tournament, home stadium advantage was given to the projected higher seed (i.e., assuming no upsets). In the two-leg semifinals, the projected higher seed played the second leg at home.
Due to financial problems and other sanctions, the list of 78 teams was filled as follows:
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