AFP, MILAN, ITALY
Inter and AC Milan’s Coppa Italia semi-final was left finely balanced on Wednesday after the two giants of Italian soccer played out a 1-1 draw at the San Siro.
Hakan Calhanoglu’s strike in the 67th minute made sure that Inter would head into the tie’s second leg later this month with the scores level.
Turkey captain Calhanoglu’s low shot squirmed past Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan and cancelled out Tammy Abraham’s brilliantly taken opener which was netted a minute after halftime.
AC Milan’s Tammy Abraham celebrates scoring in their Coppa Italia semi-final first leg against Inter at the San Siro in Milan, Italy, on Wednesday.
Photo: Reuters
“It was an even game. Milan had a few chances and so did we, but in the second half we played a bit better,” Calhanoglu said.
“It was important to not lose today because we still have the other match to play,” he said.
Abraham’s ninth goal of the season in all competitions came when his quick turn and drilled finish punished slack marking from Inter defender Yann Bisseck.
Milan need something to cheer about more than Italian champions and Serie A leaders Inter, who are chasing the treble ahead of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final with Bayern Munich.
Sergio Conceicao’s Milan are ninth in Italy’s top flight, 20 points behind Inter and nine from the Champions League positions.
“It was a good game against a difficult opponent. We had to play well defensively and that’s what we did, so I’m happy,” Conceicao said.
The winner of this tie would likely play Bologna in next month’s final in Rome after Vincenzo Italiano’s team comfortably beat Empoli 3-0 on Tuesday night.
