Roma beat Juventus to reach semis

MILAN: Mirko Vucinic helped to send AS Roma into the Italian Cup semi-finals with a superb goal to set up a 2-0 win at Juventus on Thursday.

The in-form Montenegro forward picked up the ball on the side of the area midway through the second half and effortlessly curled it into the far corner.

Rodrigo Taddei added a second goal in added time with an acrobatic finish to ensure Roma progressed to meet holders Inter Milan in the last four.

The bad-tempered encounter was riddled with fouls and injuries but Claudio Ranieri’s side just about deserved to beat his former club with Simplicio also having a header saved.

Juve piled on the pressure towards the end but never really came close to scoring despite fielding a strong side as they became the latest big club to play their top players in a previously unloved competition.

Roma will play Inter in April and May’s two-legged semi-finals after Leonardo’s side beat Napoli on penalties on Wednesday.

Serie A leaders AC Milan take on Palermo in the other semi-final after the pair got past Sampdoria and Parma respectively earlier this week. 

  

Roma beats Juventus 2-0 to reach Italian Cup semis

TURIN, Italy (AP) - Roma set up an Italian Cup semifinal against titleholder Inter Milan after dispatching Juventus 2-0 on Thursday.

Mirko Vucinic scored midway through the second half and Rodrigo Taddei volleyed a second in injury time. AC Milan will meet Palermo in the other semifinal.

"We played well tonight even though playing Juventus is never easy," Taddei said. "I've scored goals like that in training, but I've never had the chance in a match. I have to thank Daniele De Rossi for such a great pass."

In the first half neither side managed to find any rhythm in a match littered with fouls, though Alessandro Del Piero went close for Juventus and Vucinic for Roma.

Roma came out strongly in the second half and Simone Perrotta and Fabio Simplicio both squandered chances to open the scoring. Vucinic scored in the 65th minute, cutting in from the left and whipping a curling shot past Juventus goalkeeper Marco Storari into the far corner.

Three minutes later, Storari kept Juventus in the game when he stopped Philippe Mexes' header.

With the match almost over, Taddei spectacularly volleyed De Rossi's free kick home to wrap up the victory.

  

Inter edge Napoli on penalties, Milan also in semis

MILAN: Lucky holders Inter Milan beat Napoli on penalties in the Italian Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday after drawing 0-0 after extra time while rivals AC Milan also went through.

Ezequiel Lavezzi blasted over the only missed spot kick as Inter prevailed 5-4 on penalties and kept alive their dream of a second straight treble.

Hosts Napoli had much the better chances in the 120 minutes with Marek Hamsik going closest when his shot was saved and his subsequent header was cleared off the line.

Inter battled hard without much penetration and lost Dejan Stankovic and Ivan Cordoba to injury.

Two goals by striker Alexandre Pato earlier downed Sampdoria 2-1 to seal Milan’s place in the two-legged semi-final stage, where they will meet Palermo after the Sicilians overcame Parma on penalties on Tuesday.

The Brazilian, left out of the Serie A leaders’ win over Cesena on Sunday, struck the first after 17 minutes and converted Dutch debutant Urby Emanuelson’s assist five minutes later to make it 2-0.

Stefano Guberti headed Sampdoria back into the game after the break but Milan, who also gave new signing Mark van Bommel a first start following the uncompromising Dutchman’s move from Bayern Munich, hung on.

With 12 minutes left Milan brought on former Samporia forward Antonio Cassano, who left the Genoa-based side in January in acrimonious circumstances after being dropped for swearing at the club president.

Cassano, who has throughout his career made a habit of shooting himself in the foot at whatever club he has played for, was greeted on his entrance as a substitute for Robinho in the 78th minute by jeers and boos and cries of ‘Clown!’.

Sampdoria president, Riccardo Garrone, had said before the match that he would not greet Cassano because he had no regard for him as a person anymore after the Italian playmaker had gone on television and joked “that if he had known he would finish up at Milan he would have insulted the president a long time before he actually did so.” 

  

Inter Milan beats Napoli on penalties

MILAN (AP): Inter Milan beat Napoli 5-4 on penalties Wednesday to join AC Milan in the semifinals of the Italian Cup after its crosstwon rival beat Sampdoria 2-1.

Napoli striker Ezequiel Lavezzi was the only player to miss in the shootout when he blasted the team's third kick over the bar, after the match had ended 0-0 after extra time. Fullback Cristian Chivu then scored the deciding penalty for Inter.

"It was a tough game and we really had to work hard," Inter captain Javier Zanetti said. "When you go to penalty kicks it comes down to luck and tonight we had luck on our side."

Inter's Esteban Cambiasso had the best chance of the first half, but volleyed Maicon's cross at Napoli goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis from close range.

Marek Hamsik went close twice in quick succession near the end of regulation. First Luca Castellazzi saved his shot, then Maicon cleared his follow up header off the line.

Inter will meet the winner of the quarterfinal between Juventus and AS Roma on Thursday.

Earlier, Wednesday, Alexandre Pato's two first-half goals secured the win for Milan. Stefano Guberti pulled a goal back for Sampdoria early in the second half, but the Genoa club was unable to break down Milan's defence for the equaliser.

"We had a great game, especially in the first half," Milan defender Massimo Oddo said. "We made chances and took them. We knew Sampdoria would come back in the second half, but we managed to hold them out."

Milan will meet Palermo in the semifinals. Netherlands pair Mark Van Bommel and Urby Emanuelson made starting debuts for Milan and lasted the full match.

"I think they are two good buys," Oddo said. "They are experienced and add quality to the squad. "It is not easy to play so soon after arriving and Van Bommel had a different role to the one he had at Bayern Munich, but he did very well tonight."

Milan opened the scoring in the 17th minute. Thiago Silva headed Robinho's corner into the path of Pato and the Brazilian hit a low shot past Angelo Da Costa.

Pato then linked up with Emanuelson for his second of the match. Emanuelson slipped the ball to Pato on the edge of the area, he rounded Sampdoria defender Pietro Accardi and blasted past Da Costa.

Guberti scored six minutes into the second half when he headed in Massimo Maccarone's cross.

  

Palermo beat Parma on penalties to enter semis

MILAN: Palermo overcame Parma 5-4 on penalties on Tuesday following a 0-0 draw after extra time to progress to the Italian Cup semi-finals.        

Hosts Palermo had the better chances in the 120 minutes but only prevailed thanks to Francesco Valiani’s missed spotkick. Parma surprisingly fielded the weaker side of the two but even the introduction of striker Hernan Crespo towards the end of the second half of normal time failed to break the deadlock in Sicily.       

Juventus entertain AS Roma in the final last eight encounter today with the big guns appearing to take the much-maligned competition more seriously this term.

  

Palermo beats Parma 5-4 in penalty shootout

PALERMO, Sicily (AP) - Palermo beat Parma 5-4 in a penalty shootout Tuesday to advance to the Italian Cup semifinals.

Daniel Martinez, a 17-year-old from Paraguay, converted the decisive penalty for Palermo after Francesco Valiani fired over for Parma.

The score was 0-0 after extra time and the shootout opened with shots from Parma's Hernan Crespo and Palermo's Mattia Cassani both being blocked.

In the two-leg semifinals, Palermo will face either Sampdoria or AC Milan, which meet Wednesday.

In the other half of the draw, it's Napoli vs. defending champion Inter Milan and AS Roma vs. Juventus.

Before the shootout, Palermo's talented Argentina striker Javier Pastore had numerous chances, most notably on consecutive occasions in the 83rd and 84th minutes, first with a shot that was deflected just wide by Parma goalkeeper Nicola Pavarini, then dribbling past three defenders before shooting into the side of the net.

Pastore also shot wide in the 118th, then held his nerve to keep Palermo alive by converting the fifth spot-kick in the shootout after Pavarini was shown a yellow card for attempting to intimidate him.

  

AC Milan beats Bari 3-0 in Italian Cup

MILAN (AP) - AC Milan routed Bari 3-0 in the Italian Cup on Thursday with Antonio Cassano making his first start since joining from Sampdoria.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexander Merkel scored in the first half and Robinho found the net in the second to take Milan into the quarterfinals.

Cassano lined up alongside Ibrahimovic and Robinho in attack and created chances for the Swede and fullback Massimo Oddo before he made way for Andrea Pirlo after 65 minutes.

Milan's defense easily contained Bari, though Vitalii Kutuzov and Jose Castillo both had good chances to score.

"Playing with Cassano is easy because he is such an intelligent player," Robinho said. "He works extremely hard and makes you play better."

Ibrahimovic had the first chance of the match in the 17th, but Bari goalkeeper Daniele Padelli pushed his shot away.

Two minutes later there was nothing Padelli could do as Ibrahimovic cut in from the left and lashed the opening goal into the top corner.

Robinho then pulled the ball back from the byline for Merkel to hammer in Milan's second from close range just before halftime.

Bari still had a chance before the break, but Kutuzov ballooned Edgar Alvarez's cross over the bar from close range.

Robinho scored when Merkel played him through on goal in the 65th.

  

AS Roma striker Adriano out for a month

ROME (AP) - AS Roma striker Adriano is likely to be out of action for at least a month after injuring his right shoulder during the Italian Cup win over Lazio on Wednesday.

The Brazilian was taken off at halftime and will now undergo a period of recuperation and physiotherapy, the Serie A club said Thursday.

Adriano, 28, has yet to score in eight appearances since joining Roma from Flamengo in June 2010.

  

Roma beat city rivals, Sampdoria win shootout

MILAN: AS Roma knocked city rivals Lazio out of the Italian Cup on Wednesday with a 2-1 victory at the Stadio Olimpico that sent them through to an intriguing quarter-final at Juventus.

Fabio Simplicio scored the winner with 13 minutes to go when he picked the ball up following a mazy run from Jeremy Menez and calmly slotted home from just inside the box.

After a gritty opening period shaded by Lazio, the game burst into life with two penalties in the first 12 minutes of the second half.

Roma took the lead on 53 minutes when striker Marco Borriello converted after Stephan Lichtsteiner handled John Arne Riise’s volleyed cross.

Four minutes later, Roma’s Brazilian defender Juan brought down Mauro Zarate and midfielder Hernanes sent Julio Sergio the wrong way to equalise from the spot.

Stefano Floccari almost equalised with a spectacular volley late on but it was the Giallorossi side of the Italian capital celebrating at the end.

Earlier, Sampdoria sealed a quarter-final trip to either AC Milan or Bari after overcoming Udinese 5-4 on penalties in an entertaining match in Genoa that ended 2-2 after extra time.

Mauricio Isla’s last-minute strike cancelled out Samp striker Federico Macheda’s opener on 31 minutes in a 90 minutes the home side had dominated.

In a free-flowing additional period, German Denis nodded Udinese ahead on 91 minutes before Sampdoria midfielder Daniele Dessena was sent off eight minutes later.

Giampaolo Pazzini equalised for 10-man Samp from the spot three minutes into the second period of extra time.

In a shootout that swung one way and then the other, Sampdoria leftback Reto Ziegler blasted the eighth penalty over before Junior Costa saved Denis’s kick.

Another save from Costa left Fernando Tissone to coolly dink the winning penalty into the net.

  

Napoli advances to Italian Cup quarterfinals

NAPLES, Italy (AP): Napoli extended its run of good form in Serie A to the Italian Cup with a 2-1 win over Bologna on Tuesday that set up a quarterfinal meeting with defending champion Inter Milan.

French midfielder Hassan Yebda put Napoli ahead with a header in the ninth minute at the San Paolo stadium and Argentine striker Ezequiel Lavezzi doubled the lead in the 23rd following a pass from Marek Hamsik.

Riccardo Meggiorini converted a penalty for Bologna in the 56th.

The match was suspended briefly shortly after halftime due to a lighting outage.

The quarterfinal pairings will be completed Wednesday and Thursday with AS Roma facing Lazio in a derby, Sampdoria hosting Udinese and Serie A leader AC Milan facing Bari.

Napoli is second in Serie A, four points behind Milan.

  

Buffon makes winning return for Juventus

ROME: Gianluigi Buffon made his comeback after seven months out as Juventus moved into the Italian Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory over Catania on Thursday.

Serbia winger Milos Krasic netted the opener on 34 minutes and Italy wideman Simone Pepe sealed the victory nine minutes after the restart.

In a difficult season in which Juve crashed out of the Europa League in the group stages and sit down in sixth in Serie A, nine points off leaders AC Milan, this competition represents their best chance of silverware.

Juve coach Luigi Delneri picked a full-strength side to face Catania, including Italian goalkeeper Buffon.

He had suffered a herniated disc in his back during the World Cup in South Africa and had not played since.

Juve joined Inter Milan, Palermo and Parma in the last eight.

The other four qualifiers will be decided next week. 

  

Juventus striker Toni injures knee in Italian Cup

TURIN, Italy (AP) - Juventus striker Luca Toni suffered a distortion to his right knee during an Italian Cup win over Catania on Thursday.

The Italy international limped off after 18 minutes of the 2-0 victory.

The club says on its website that the 33-year-old Toni will be examined on Friday, though it is likely he will miss the Serie A match against Bari on Sunday.

Toni recently joined Juventus from Genoa during the winter break.

  

Juventus beats Catania 2-0 in Italian Cup

TURIN, Italy (AP) - Juventus reached the Italian Cup quarterfinals by beating Napoli 2-0 on Thursday as goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon played in his first game since Italy's opening World Cup match last June.

Buffon had little to do as Catania struggled to trouble Juventus' defense.

"It feels great," Buffon said. "I have won a World Cup and played in a Champions League final and this may only be an Italian Cup match, but I am very satisfied with the game."

Milos Krasic opened the scoring from Alessandro Del Piero's cross, and the Juventus captain was again the creator for Simone Pepe early in the second half.

Luigi Delneri's side will meet either Roma or Lazio in the quarterfinals.

Pepe and Krasic had early shots and in the 24th Alberto Aquilani wasted an excellent chance to score. He was one on one with Catania goalkeeper Andrea Campagnolo, but he scuffed his effort straight at the custodian.

Juventus opened the scoring in the 35th. Del Piero crossed to the far post and Krasic ran into slot the ball low past Campagnolo.

Juventus doubled its lead 10 minutes into the second half. Del Piero swung over a corner, Giorgio Chiellini flicked the ball on and Pepe sidefooted the ball home at the far post.

Felipe Melo came close to adding a third for Juventus, but Campagnolo pushed his shot away for a corner and from then on Juventus comfortably closed out the match.

Buffon was eventually forced to make a save in the 76th when he pushed Adrian Ricchiuti's shot away for a corner, and later he spectacularly denied Simone Pesce a consolation.

"He didn't have a lot do, but he played well in the second half," Delneri said. "He was ready to return before tonight because that is Buffon. He is a great player and gives us a lot of experience."

  

Eto'o scores twice as Inter Milan beats Genoa 3-2

MILAN (AP): Samuel Eto'o scored twice Wednesday as Inter Milan defeated Genoa 3-2 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Italian Cup, taking his tally to 21 goals in all competitions so far this season.

Eto'o gave Inter a 2-0 halftime lead. After the break, Houssine Kharja scored for Genoa with a penalty, but McDonald Mariga hit Inter's third soon after. Giuseppe Sculli scored Genoa's second goal in injury time.

The result means new Inter coach Leonardo has now won his first three matches since taking over from Rafael Benitez during the winter break.

"Genoa closed down space well and made life difficult for us," Inter midfielder Esteban Cambiasso said. "We had to work hard and deserved the win."

Inter, the defending champions, took the lead in the 15th minute. Sulley Muntari crossed from the left, Eto'o controlled the ball before slipping between Domenico Criscito and Emiliano Moretti and poking it under goalkeeper Alessio Scarpi.

Two minutes before halftime, Eto'o doubled his tally. Maicon hit a low cross to the near post and Eto'o got ahead of Moretti to score.

Genoa came back into the match with a 53rd-minute spot kick after Gergely Rudolf had been brought down by Andrea Ranocchia.

Mariga headed in Maicon's corner in the 59th, restoring Inter's two-goal lead.

Sculli's shot low from the edge of area gave Genoa some hope, but Inter managed to hold on.

"This team has been together for a long time and we know what we have to do," Cambiasso said. "It is a step forward for us in the Cup, now we have to concentrate on the league."

In the other round-of-16 match, Fabio Miccoli scored a penalty in the 80th minute to give Palermo a 1-0 win at home to Chievo Verona.

Chievo defender Carlos Rincon brought down Miccoli, and the Palermo striker got back up to break the deadlock.