Serie A champion Inter aiming for the double in Italian Cup final, Lazio eyeing Europe

MILAN (AP) — Just four days after facing off against each other in the league, Lazio and Inter Milan meet again at the Stadio Olimpico. This time with a title at stake.

And both teams know that winning Wednesday’s Italian Cup final would mean much more than lifting the trophy.

For newly-crowned Serie A champion Inter Milan it is a chance to cement its domination of Italian soccer this season after the disappointment of last year. For Lazio, it is a path back into Europe.

Not since José Mourinho led Inter to a treble in 2010 — including the Champions League trophy — has Inter won the league and cup in the same season.

Inter coach Christian Chivu, who is quickly making a name for himself in the managerial ranks after helping Parma avoid relegation last season, played on the 2010 team.

“There’s no need to compare different eras or different teams,” Chivu said. “Times change, soccer changes.

“Both the 2010 team and this 2026 side have brought happiness to the fans, and that’s what matters most.”

Chivu is in his first season at Inter after replacing Simone Inzaghi. Doing the double would assuage the disappointment of last campaign, which promised so much but ultimately left Inter empty-handed.

With just over a month to go to the end of last season, Inter was on course for a treble of trophies but finished one point below Serie A champion Napoli, lost in the Italian Cup semifinals and was routed 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the most lopsided Champions League final in history.

There is no chance of a treble this year as Inter was eliminated by Norwegian upstart Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League.

The Nerazzurri have bounced back from that disappointment and, after clinching the Serie A title with three rounds to spare, show little sign of letting up.

Indeed Inter crushed Lazio 3-0 on Saturday in Serie A, in a dress rehearsal for Wednesday’s cup final in the same stadium in Rome.

Inter was utterly dominant in the first half but Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri placed the blame on his players’ approach.

“Inter is stronger, but with this attitude we would concede two goals against any team,” Sarri said after the match. “We shouldn’t be scared, that attitude is our fault and not down to the merits of Inter.

“(The final) will be a different match and it’s clear that we don’t want to have this approach, it’s also clear that Inter is technically superior.”

For Lazio, it is the only chance to play European soccer next season as the winner of the Italian Cup qualifies for the Europa League.

If Inter — which will play in the Champions League next season — wins, then the Europa League place will be given to the team which finishes sixth in the league, with the seventh-place finisher going into the European Conference League.

Lazio is ninth, seven points below seventh-place Atalanta, with only two league matches remaining.

“There’s no need to change our heads, today’s approach is the result of the fact that today’s match didn’t count for anything unlike Wednesday,” Sarri said. “But it is a mistake to think like that, there was some chance of reaching seventh place and these matches can create fear, which stops you.

“It’s not ideal, but I hope the boys are willing to show that this isn’t them because there’s a trophy up for grabs.”

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Inter Milan's head coach Cristian Chivu celebrates their victory at the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Parma, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Lazio's Gustav Isaksen, left, and Inter Milan's Luis Henrique vie for the ball during a Serie A soccer match between Lazio and Inter Milan, in Rome, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)

Inter Milan's Petar Sucic celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Lazio and Inter Milan, in Rome, Italy, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)

Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez, left, controls the ball from Lazio's Adam Marušić during a Serie A soccer match, in Rome, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)

Inter Milan's head coach Cristian Chivu celebrates their victory at the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Parma, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — N.C. State has officially hired former Wolfpack and NFL quarterback Philip Rivers as head coach, turning to a beloved figure as a first-time coach at the college level to spark its football program.

The school announced Rivers’ hiring Friday, coming after its board of trustees approved a five-year contract for Rivers in a morning meeting. That was the final procedural step to completing the hire; N.C. State had reached a deal with Rivers after his high school team in Alabama ended its season with a playoff loss.

Now, exactly one week after that loss, Rivers is the man in charge in Raleigh — where he set records as a four-year starter and had his No. 17 jersey retired.

“I am humbled and honored to be the next head football coach at N.C. State University," Rivers said in a statement released by the school. “In many ways, I feel like I’m coming home. This is where it all began for me as an 18-year-old kid from Alabama, and now to return to this great place as head coach is beyond words.

“I gave it everything I had here as a player for 51 games and I will give it everything I have as the coach. There’s no denying that this is going to take hard work, but we’re not scared of hard. I look forward to getting after it every single day with an unbelievable coaching staff and a group of players who are dedicated to relentlessly pursuing victory.”

According to a copy of the contract obtained through a public-records request, Rivers' deal will pay $3.25 million in base and supplemental pay for the 2027 season, with $200,000 annual increases in each category to push that figure to $4.05 million by the final year running through December 2031.

Rivers replaces Dave Doeren, who was fired midway through his 14th season in a tenure that saw him set the program’s career wins mark yet prove unable to make a breakthrough leap to higher success. Doeren’s teams routinely tallied eight or nine wins while going to bowl games, yet couldn’t become only the second Wolfpack team to reach the 10-win mark.

That only one to do so in program history came in 2002, with Rivers as the star passer leading the Wolfpack to an 11-3 mark in a year that included cracking the top 10 nationally.

Rivers is now the headlining name in the Wolfpack’s effort to navigate the changing landscape of college athletics with increased player movement through the transfer portal and players being paid. There are also the broad financial pressures of schools trying to generate more revenue and keep up with one another, prompting Doeren to say after his ouster: “This is a great job, N.C. State. And this is also a very hard job.”

Rivers has coached the past six seasons as head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama. That included coaching his son, Gunner, a four-star quarterback prospect who committed to N.C. State in February.

He has never been a coach in the college or professional ranks, though he interviewed for the Buffalo Bills’ head coaching job in January before removing himself from consideration. But hiring the 44-year-old Rivers brings a buzz for N.C. State fans who have kept unwavering affection for Rivers nearly two dozen years since his final college snap.

It also brings home a coach who understands everything about the school, from a rabid fan base to the local rivalries with neighboring schools in the Triangle region of North Carolina. That much was acknowledged during Friday's trustee meeting, with board chairman Edwin J. “Ed” Stack III calling him “a longstanding son of this university.”

“He’s part of our DNA and who we are,” athletic director Boo Corrigan told reporters after the meeting.

Rivers was a four-year star (2000-03) under the late Chuck Amato. He set Atlantic Coast Conference records for most career passing yards (13,484), completions (1,087) and attempts (1,710) while setting school records for most career passing TDs (95).

Then, after being the No. 4 overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft, Rivers went on to be an eight-time Pro Bowler who ranks in the top 10 in NFL history with nearly 64,000 passing yards to go with 425 touchdown throws. He played 16 seasons with the NFL’s San Diego and Los Angeles Chargers franchise, then played one year with the Indianapolis Colts before retiring after the 2020 season.

There was one detour from coaching last December when Rivers came out of retirement to rejoin the Colts due to multiple QB injuries. The Colts signed him to the practice squad, then started him three games before he retired again and returned to St. Michael.

“It wasn't like there was a number of other opportunities to be a (graduate assistant) and do all those things,” Corrigan said of Rivers' NFL experience. “He grew up a coach’s son. As soon as he got done playing, started coaching. It was so good that he went back and played last year. I think it’s a different progression, but I’m really excited about where we are."

The school is scheduled to hold Rivers' introductory news conference Monday.

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FILE - Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) gestures during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga, File)

FILe - Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) throws under pressure from Jacksonville Jaguars safety Eric Murray (29) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

FILE - North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers throws a first quarter pass against Notre Dame during the Gator Bowl at Alltel Stadium Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2003, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton, File)

FILE - Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers speaks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast, File)