As it looked that the match could go either way, Barella took Inter in the driving seat with a brilliant volley after the ball had dropped to him on the edge of the box.
Inter Milan's Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen (C) shoots on goal during the Italian Cup (Coppa Italia) round of 8 football match Inter Milan vs Fiorentina on January 29, 2020 at the San Siro stadium in Milan. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)
Antonio Candreva and Nicolo Barella were on the scorecard as Inter Milan on Wednesday defeated Fiorentina 2-1 at San Siro in Milan to enter the semifinal of the Coppa Italia championship.
Midfielder Candreva drew the first blood in the 44th minute before defender Martin Caceres levelled the scoreline in the 60th minute. However, midfielder Barella fired Inter back into the lead with a goal in the 67th minute and decided the fate of the game.
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Earlier, Inter struggled to break through the tight defence of Fiorentina and this led to several limited attempts from outside the box. However, Candreva made the breakthrough just before half-time, making the most of a defensive mix-up before sliding the ball into an empty net after a flick through from Lautaro Martinez.
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Just when Inter thought to capitalise the pressure on Fiorentina, the latter grabbed an equaliser with Caceres managing to get above Lautaro and head Erick Pulgar’s corner into the back of the net.
As it looked that the match could go either way, Barella took Inter in the driving seat with a brilliant volley after the ball had dropped to him on the edge of the box, following good work by Lautaro and Matias Vecino.
The Nerazzurri now face Napoli, which knocked out Coppa holders Lazio 1-0 in the quarterfinal on January 22, and Milan meet Juventus after the Bianconeri bested Roma 3-1 on January 21.
The semifinals are slated for February 12 and March 4, with the final to be played on May 13.
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