The Coppa Italia highlights just keep on coming.
And after four exciting quarter-finals this week, we now have two-legged semi-finals in the spring to look forward to as the big guns of Italian football flex their muscles in pursuit of the first major trophy of the campaign.
First up is a Milan derby.
Mourinho receives heroes welcome – but little else
It was a welcome fit for a king.
Indeed, inside the San Siro, Inter Milan fans sang Jose Mourinho’s name on the Portuguese’s first return since he led them to an unforgettable treble in 2010.
That was where the joy ended though as his current charges, AS Roma, were eliminated from the competition. Certainly, the disappointment was visible in his eyes when he walked inside the tunnel after the final whistle.
The initial delight lasted all of two minutes as a former Roma striker, Edin Dzeko, broke the deadlock with a powerful volley from Ivan Perisic’s cross.
Then Alexis Sanchez – a player Mourinho signed at Manchester United – put the game to bed with a 20-yard rocket which flew into the top corner.
And with that, the tie was settled and Roma’s night was made worse when they lost striker Tammy Abraham to injury late on.
Not that victory for the Serie A leaders didn’t come at a cost as they confirmed Alessandro Bastoni sprained his right ankle in the clash and could miss their Champions League clash with Liverpool next week.
Awaiting Inter are their city rivals AC Milan who made it through to the last four in some style.
Sarri is perplexed
No-one saw the result coming though so no wonder Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri was ‘worried and perplexed’.
The 2019 winners were hammered 4-0 and that should be his main concern, rather than an issue with what he described as the ‘anti-sporting’ Coppa Italia format – even if he has a point
Lazio had kept four consecutive clean sheets in all competitions before this rout as Milan swept them aside with Rafael Leao, Franck Kessie and an Olivier Giroud double.
So now for a repeat of last season’s quarter-final, which Inter won 2-1, but this time in the semi-final, the only round to be played over two legs.
The SBOTOP Coppa Italia betting odds on that one will likely be delicately poised.
Last-gasp Fiorentina set up Vlahovic return
Not so much in the other semi-final after 10-man Fiorentina turned the tables on Atalanta and now meet holders Juventus, who were given an uncomfortable evening of their own by spirited Sassuolo.
It was a bitterly disappointing night for Atalanta, last season’s defeated finalists, as they succumbed to a dramatic last-gasp goal.
When the Florence club went down to 10 men with Martinez-Quarta receiving a second yellow card, the odds were firmly stacked in Atalanta’s favour.
Yet substitute Nikola Milenkovic’s control and half-volley from the edge of the box deep in stoppage time survived a VAR check for both a potential handball and offside and proved the last kick of the game.
I Viola will now be reunited with the star striker they have just sold to Juve, Dusan Vlahovic.
He effectively grabbed the winner too when he embarked on a solo run and shot which was deflected off the unfortunate Ruan Tressoldi.
It was harsh on Sassuolo who had responded to Paulo Dybala’s early volley with a splendid equaliser through Junior Hamed Traore.
Yet there was no doubting the better side won as visiting goalkeeper, 40 year-old Gianluca Pegolo, performed heroics with a series of saves, while the woodwork kept out Weston McKennie and Matthijs de Ligt, until Vlahovic had the last word.
It will be early March when the first legs are played and fairly late in April before the second legs are contested.
A lot can change between now and then but what is certain is that we should be in for yet more Coppa Italia treats between now and the end of the season.
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