Lautaro Martínez grabbed a first-half double as Internazionale overcame rivals Milan to make the Coppa Italia final with a 3-0 second-leg and aggregate victory at San Siro.
After a goalless draw in the first leg, Inter went ahead after just four minutes here when Martínez smartly turned in Matteo Darmian’s cross at the near post. Milan rallied and Inter keeper Samir Handanovic was forced into fine saves to deny Rafael Leão and Alexis Saelemaekers. The Rossoneri were left to rue those missed chances as Inter doubled their lead five minutes before the interval.
It was Argentina forward Martínez on target again, slotting the ball home after being played in by his compatriot Joaquín Correa. Ismaël Bennacer’s 68th-minute strike for Milan was ruled out for offside, before substitute Robin Gosens sealed the win for Simone Inzaghi’s side.
“I am happy because we are playing another final,” said Martínez, who has endured a difficult season but was picked by Inzaghi ahead of Edin Dzeko for Tuesday’s match. “There are things said that I don’t like, but I defend this jersey. The club put a lot of faith in me and I try to repay them on the pitch.”
The result is a psychological blow for Milan, currently two points clear of a resurgent Inter in the title race. “I don’t think the performance was worthy of a 3-0 but Inter scored at the right times,” said the Milan head coach, Stefano Pioli. “We didn’t lack for effort, intensity or chances but it wasn’t our night.”
Inter are one step closer to their first Coppa Italia triumph since 2011, and will face either Juventus or Fiorentina in the final. Juve are 1-0 up after the first leg of their semi-final, with the second leg taking place in Turin on Wednesday.
Freiburg earn historic German Cup final spot
Freiburg struck three times in the first half to win 3-1 at second-tier Hamburg and reach the DFB-Pokal final for the first time in their history.
The Hamburg forward Robert Glatzel headed wide when well-placed in the early stages, before Nils Petersen scored on the rebound for the visitors in the 11th minute. Midfielder Nicolas Hoefler doubled the advantage six minutes later, his shot from the edge of the area flying into the roof of the net.
Vincenzo Grifo made it 3-0 after just 35 minutes, sending keeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes the wrong way from the penalty spot after a foul on Nico Schlotterbeck. Hamburg saw Anssi Suhonen’s goal disallowed for offside soon after, and could not get on the scoresheet until the 88th minute when Glatzel nodded home.
Freiburg, who are fifth in the Bundesliga and just one point outside the Champions League places, will face either RB Leipzig or Union Berlin in the final on 21 May. Hamburg’s exit also means that a new name is guaranteed to be engraved on the German Cup this season.
In Spain, Real Betis and Valencia will contest the Copa del Rey final on Saturday, but both sides missed the chance to build momentum with losses in La Liga on Tuesday.
Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis side suffered a major blow to their top-four hopes as they lost 1-0 at home to Elche. Victory would have put Betis level on points with Barcelona, Sevilla and Atlético Madrid in the top four, but they could not find the breakthrough before Tete Morente’s 82nd-minute winner for the visitors.
Valencia lost 2-0 at Villarreal, with Arnaut Danjuma scoring twice in the first half as Unai Emery’s side tuned up for their Champions League semi-final with Liverpool. Villarreal stay in seventh place and will not play again until the first leg at Anfield next Wednesday. Elsewhere, Mallorca climbed out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 home win over the bottom club, Alavés.
