Defending champions Inter Milan beat Atalanta 1-0 in the Coppa Italia to advance to the semi-finals.
Defender Matteo Darmian was the unlikely goalscorer, with his well-taken effort enough to see Inter into the last four.
Inter controlled the first half but rarely threatened Juan Musso’s goal until moments before the break.
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Denzel Dumfries delivered a cross towards a free Romelu Lukaku at the back post, but before he could nod the ball into an almost empty net, Berat Djimsiti recovered excellently to head clear.
Hakan Calhanoglu almost found a way through when he struck the woodwork from outside the box.
He drove towards the goal and drifted to the left, before pulling a shot back across the target from outside the box which crashed against the foot of the right post.
Atalanta had a great chance to go ahead early in the second half when Joakim Maehle fired an effort over the bar.
Jeremie Boga raced towards the touchline and pulled back and dinked cross into a dangerous area which Andre Onana beat away, but only as far as Maehle, who had the whole goal to aim at but blasted over the bar.
It was a chance Atalanta would go on to rue as four minutes later Inter had the ball in the back of the net through Darmian.
The defender found himself high up the pitch and in a position to receive the ball on the edge of the box, he let the ball roll across his body before pulling the trigger with a clinical left-footed effort, which fizzed across goal and nestled into the far corner.
The hosts had to deal with little Atalanta pressure in the game’s closing stages as they comfortably eased into the next round.
Inter will play either Juventus or Lazio in the last four.
TALKING POINT – INTER EASE INTO THE SEMI-FINALS
Inter are into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the fourth season in a row as they look to win the tournament back-to-back for the first time since 2011, which was the last time they won the trophy before last year’s triumph.
They waited over a decade for their eighth Coppa Italia, and will need to beat either Juventus or Lazio in the next round for a chance to win a ninth.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH – MATTEO DARMIAN (INTER)
There were no real star performers in this fairly straightforward win for Inter Milan, but Darmian did make the difference in the end and he deserves the recognition for the finish alone.
His edge-of-the-box effort could be described as a “proper striker’s finish”, fizzing the ball across goal with a first-time effort. Not only did he take his goal well, but he was also instrumental throughout the game. He made the most passes in the match and made the most tackles in a well-fought victory.
PLAYER RATINGS
INTER: Onana 7, Darmian 8, de Vrij 7, Acerbi 7, Dumfries 7, Barella 8, Calhanoglu 7, Mkhitaryan 7, Gosens 7, Lukaku 7, Martinez 7
Subs: Dzeko 6, Correa N/A, Asllani 6, Dimarco 6, D’Ambrosio 6
ATALANTA: Musso 6, Toloi 7, Djimsiti 7, Scalvini 7, Hateboer 6, de Roon 7, Koopmeiners 7, Maehle 7, Boga 6, Pasalic 6, Zapata 6
Subs: Soppy 6, Muriel 6, Lookman 6, Ederson 7, Hojlund 6
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
28’ – APPEALS FOR AN INTER PENALTY – Inter break forward and Lukaku lays the ball left to Martinez who opens up his body for a curled effort, but his shot is blocked by the heel of Toloi, pops up, and grazes the defender’s arm. There is a quick VAR check but there will be no penalty.
39’ – CHANCE FOR INTER! Dumfries delivers a cross towards the back post where Lukaku is free, but before he can nod the ball into an almost empty net, Berat Djimsiti recovers excellently to head clear. That should have been the opener for the hosts.
41’ – INTER HIT THE POST! Calhanoglu drives towards goal and drifts to the left, before pulling a shot back across goal from outside the box which crashes against the foot of the right post. Inter certainly knocking on the door now.
53’ – HUGE CHANCE FOR ATALANTA! Boga dinks a cross into a dangerous area which Andre Onana beats away, but only as far as Maehle, who has the whole goal to aim at but blasts his shot over the bar! That’s the best chance of the game so far.
57’ – GOAL! INTER MILAN 1-0 ATALANTA (DARMIAN): There’s the Inter opener! Darmian lets the ball roll across him on the edge of the box before he pulls the trigger with a clinical left-footed effort, which fizzes across Musso’s goal and nestles into the far corner.
65’ – BOGA INTO THE SIDE NETTING! Atalanta have a free kick in a good position and it’s really well worked. The ball is laid off to Bogo who fakes a shot and rounds Martinez, before driving towards goal and striking into the side netting. Clever thinking, straight from the training ground.
KEY STAT
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