Santiago Castro had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Italian Cup semifinals for the first time in 26 years.

BERGAMO, Italy (Reuters) -Bologna substitute Santiago Castro scored two minutes after coming on to secure a late 1-0 win at Atalanta on Tuesday, sending them into the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia for the first time in 26 years.

Bologna won 1-0 at last year’s runner-up Atalanta on Tuesday and will play either holder Juventus or Empoli in the final four

Bologna substitute Santiago Castro scored a decisive 80th-minute goal, leading to a 1-0 victory over Atalanta and securing their spot in the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. The victory highlights Bologna's resurgence in both the league and cup competitions under coach Vincenzo Italiano.

Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four.

Santiago Castro fired Bologna into the semi-finals of the Italian Cup with the only goal in Tuesday's 1-0 win at Atalanta.

Santiago Castro's quick impact off the bench secured a 1-0 win for Bologna against Atalanta, sending them to the Coppa Italia semi-finals. A precise free kick by Charalampos Lykogiannis set up Castro's decisive goal.

Meanwhile, Atalanta suffered a major setback ahead of their Coppa Italia quarter-final against Bologna as CEO Luca Percassi confirmed that Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season.

Bologna substitute Santiago Castro scored two minutes after coming on to secure a late 1-0 win at Atalanta on Tuesday, sending them into the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia.