Croatian goalkeeper Adrian Šemper saved a crucial penalty in the shootout, and Pisa triumphed 4-3 over Empoli in the Tuscan derby of the Italian Cup after a 1-1 draw in regular time.
Croatian goalkeeper Adrian Šemper once again proved his importance to Italian side Pisa. In the first-round match of the Italian Cup against Empoli, played on August 17, 2026, Šemper saved the first penalty in the shootout, steering his team to a 4-3 victory after the match ended 1-1 in regular time.
The Tuscan derby delivered real drama. In the 44th minute, Pisa took the lead thanks to a goal from Tommaso Marras, who capitalized on an assist from Mehdi Léris to make it 1-0. In the 61st minute, Empoli equalized through Edoardo Saporiti, who scored from a corner. Since there is no extra time in this stage of the competition, the match went straight to penalties.
In the very first round of the shootout, Šemper stopped Luca Magnino's shot down the middle. After that, Pisa's players didn't miss: Marras, Henrik Meister, Emanuele Rao, and Felipe Loyola were all clinical from the spot. For Empoli, goals came from Stiven Shpendi, Bohdan Popov, and Simone Romagnoli, but Saporiti became the villain as his effort sailed over the bar, handing Pisa the win.
The Croatian shot-stopper also shone before the penalty shootout. In the first half, he made two excellent saves against dangerous shots from Salvatore Monaco, denying attempts in the 32nd and 36th minutes, thus keeping his team in the game during the opponent's most intense pressure.
This isn't the first time the 28-year-old from Zagreb has shone in a shootout. At the start of last season in the cup, in a match against Cesena that ended 0-0, Šemper made a huge impact by saving four penalties, single-handedly sending Pisa through to the next round.
Šemper joined Pisa in the summer of 2024 from Como. In his first season, he was crucial in goal during the promotion campaign to Serie A, and in the last competitive year, he made 25 league appearances.
With this victory, Pisa secured their place in the next round of the Italian Cup, where they will face Fiorentina. The Florence-based team achieved their goal with a convincing 4-1 win over Benevento.
