The Coppa Italia semi-final sets up a fascinating Derby d’Italia after Inter knocked out Atalanta and Juventus defeated Lazio.
For Max Allegro’s side, this is the fourth consecutive year that Juve have reached at least the Coppa Italia semi-finals.
The way the quarter-final and semi-final had been setup, it seemed all set for Jose Mourinho and his Roma side to reach the final. They were set to meet Serie A strugglers Cremonese in the quarter-final and the winners of Fiorentina or Torino in the semi-final.
But Cremonese, who knocked out Serie A leaders Napoli in the previous round, continued their Cinderella cup exploits by beating Roma 2-1 in the capital. It will face Fiorentina in its first semifinal since 1987.
Cremonese’s win at Napoli was coach Davide Ballardini’s first match in charge and he followed that up with a draw at Bologna and a narrow loss to Inter in Serie A.
Against Roma, Cremonese’s players didn’t let the occasion get to them and impressed from the start.
Roma defender Marash Kumbulla was partly to blame for the opener, however, as he took too long on the ball, allowing Cyriel Dessers to steal it off him on the halfway line and sprint downfield into the area where he was brought down by goalkeeper Rui Patrício.
Dessers dusted himself down and fired a precise penalty into the top left corner to give the visitors a 28th-minute lead.
Mourinho rang the changes at halftime but Cremonese doubled its advantage four minutes after the break. David Okereke raced down the right flank and rolled the ball across for Charles Pickel, who tried to flick it on to Frank Tsadjout but it was deflected into his own net by Roma defender Mehmet Çelik to send the 200 traveling fans wild.
Andrea Belotti pulled one back for Roma in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
In the Coppa Italia, the only round to be played with home and away legs is the semi-final.
Coppa Italia Tickets
First Leg:
April 4: Juventus v Inter – Buy Coppa Italia Tickets
April 4: Cremonese vs Fiorentina – Buy Coppa Italia Tickets
Second Leg:
April 25: Inter v Juventus – Buy Coppa Italia Tickets
April 25: Fiorentina vs Fiorentina – Buy Coppa Italia Tickets
