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The first semi-final matches of the Italian Cup tournament took place on Wednesday - the struggling "Roma" team, which has been performing poorly recently, played at home against the excellent "Udinese" team having a great season. 1 - 1 37' [1 - 0] Philippe Mexes 85' [1 - 1] Valerio Bertotto These Italian Cup matches were very important for the "Roma" players, as winning the cup would guarantee them a spot in the next season's UEFA Cup tournament. "Udinese" currently holds the 4th place in Serie A and has good chances to play in the Champions League next season. Francesco Totti's five-match suspension does not apply to the Cup matches, so the player was in the starting lineup. "Roma" started the match very actively and came close to scoring when Antonio Cassano took a header, but "Udinese" goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis made a good save. Meanwhile, "Roma" goalkeeper Gianluca Curci was alert and saved the shots from Dino Fava and David Di Michele. In the 37th minute, after Cassano's lifted free-kick, Phillipe Mexes scored a header goal. No more goals were scored until the end of the first half. So the teams went into halftime with "Roma" leading 1-0. The "Udinese" players were much more noticeable after the break compared to the first half of the match. Stefano Mauri tried a long shot, but goalkeeper Gianluca Curci saved it. Just when it seemed like "Roma" players were taking control of the game again, a goal was scored: Valerio Bertotto's strong shot from 20 meters in the 85th minute found the corner of the net, making the score 1-1, and the match ended in a draw. In the return leg on May 19 at the "Friuli" stadium, Simone Perrotta, who received two yellow cards, will not be able to play, while "Udinese" player Marek Jankulovski injured his shin towards the end of the match and will probably also miss the return leg. In the other Italian Cup semi-final today, "Cagliari" will play against Milan's "Inter". The second legs of the semi-finals will take place in exactly a week.
