MILAN: Inter Milan qualified for the Italian Cup semifinals on Wednesday with a 2-1 win over a battling Torino.
French duo Ange-Yoan Bonny and Andy Diouf, both 22, put Inter 2-0 up as Inter threatened to run away with the tie, but Torino pulled a goal back through Croatian striker Sandro Kulenovic’s towering header.
Inter coach Cristian Chivu rested star striker Lautaro Martinez and the game was played in Monza as its home, the San Siro Stadium, hosts the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday.
Inter is the first team to qualify for the semis, with Atalanta hosting Juventus on Thursday, while Napoli takes on Como and Bologna awaits Lazio in next week’s fixtures.
Centre-forward Bonny put Inter ahead with a powerful, angled header that flew straight through the arms of Torino goalkeeper Alberto Paleari on 35 minutes.
Inter then raced out of the blocks in the second half as Diouf tapped home a Marcus Thuram cross in the 47th minute.
The Serie A leader was dominating the possession and passing with Torino struggling to contain it when Kulenovic pulled Torino back into the contest just ahead of the hour. But Inter held out with a disciplined defensive display as Torino went down fighting. Agencies
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