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The last quarter-final ticket to the Italian Cup semi-final was won by the tournament titleholder Milan "Inter" club, after a fierce battle defeating Rome's "Lazio" team with a single goal advantage.
1 - 0
(First match 1-1, aggregate result 2-1)
36` [1 - 0] Dejan Stankovic
After a draw in the first match, it was already necessary for the "Lazio" club to score an away goal, but the hosts started the match more successfully. In the 12th minute after a corner kick, Marco Materazzi's header was cleared off the goal line by Fabio Liverani, and eight minutes later Adriano missed a great opportunity, jumping alone against the goalkeeper and shooting wide of the goal.
"Lazio" responded with an inaccurate shot by Valon Behrami and an attempt by Goran Pandev, easily saved by goalkeeper Francesco Toldo, and in the 36th minute "Inter" took the lead - the ball bounced to Dejan Stankovic who shot straight into the goal from the edge of the penalty area.
In the second half, the visitors added Massimo Bonanni, who had recently transferred from "Palermo", bringing energy to their team. In the 51st minute, Stefano Mauri found himself at the end of a "Lazio" counter-attack, but F. Toldo tipped his shot from 16 meters over the crossbar. Shortly after a great combination by "Lazio", the Milan club's goalkeeper had to defend himself from Igli Tare's header.
D. Stankovic tried to double the result, but his shot after a corner was slightly off target. "Lazio" took the initiative and pressed their opponents towards their goal halfway through the second half, but the hosts defended from the back and G. Pandev failed to redirect the ball into the net from up close, and after a corner, F. Toldo saved an acrobatic shot by S. Mauri.
As the visitors attacked, the "Inter" team found space for counter-attacks, and in one of them, Santiago Solari had a good chance to secure the victory, but his attempt to chip the goalkeeper was too weak. Due to constant interruptions, the referee added six minutes, and at the very end of the match, just like in the first match, I. Tare had the opportunity to score and take the game to extra time after a pass from the wing, but his header was unsuccessful.
"Inter" held on and advanced to the semi-finals, where on March 22 and April 12 they will try to defend their title against the "Udinese" club, while in the other semi-final pair "Palermo" will play against the "Roma" team. The two matches of the Italian Cup final will take place at the beginning of May.
