MILAN — Juventus held off a remarkable Inter Milan comeback by winning its Italian Cup tie 5-3 on penalties Wednesday after a 3-3 draw on aggregate to set up a final against AC Milan.
Inter, beaten 3-0 in the first leg of the semifinal in Turin, rallied brilliantly to win the return match by the same score with two goals from Marcelo Brozovic and one by Ivan Perisic.
Rodrigo Palacio then missed his spot-kick in the shootout, the forward’s effort bouncing back off the bar before Leonardo Bonucci’s penalty sent Juve through. A weakened Juve was lethargic and unadventurous and the visitors were punished for their complacency as Inter dominated the second leg.
Goalkeeper Neto, standing in for Gianluigi Buffon, handed Inter its opening goal when his clearance was charged down by Gary Medel.
The Chilean midfielder, nicknamed ‘Pit Bull’, appeared to barge Hernanes off the ball before playing in Brozovic who finished emphatically in the 17th minute.
Adam Ljalic almost reduced Inter’s deficit further when he struck the bar but the host made it 2-0 on the night in the 49th minute when Eder’s cross was finished by Perisic.
Neto was again at fault for the third goal in the 82nd minute as he let Brozovic’s penalty go under his body after Daniele Rugani had brought down Perisic.
Milan will meet Juve in the final for the first time since 1990.
Mainz upsets Bayern
Jhon Cordoba scored late to give Mainz a stunning 2-1 upset win at front-runner Bayern Munich and put some suspense into the Bundesliga season Wednesday.
Borussia Dortmund won 2-0 at Darmstadt ahead of Saturday’s showdown at home to Bayern. If Dortmund wins, it will cut Bayern’s lead from five to only two points.
Cordoba fired home in the 86th minute to end Bayern’s run of 11 straight home wins this season. He also spoiled the return to the stadium of former Bayern president Uli Hoeness, who was released from prison two days ago after serving a sentence for tax evasion.
Bayer Leverkusen fell to its third straight loss, Claudio Pizarro scoring a hat trick in the 4-1 win on the road for Werder Bremen.
Mainz has 39 points from 24 matches, three behind third-placed Hertha Berlin which beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0.
Gladbach remained fourth on 39 points after outclassing Stuttgart 4-0 while Schalke 04 defeated Hamburg SV 3-2 and Relegation-threatened Hoffenheim sank Augsburg 2-1. — Agencies
