A late strike by Gervinho sent AS Roma into the Italian Cup semi-finals with a 1-0 win over league title rivals Juventus in a tense atmosphere at a packed Olympic Stadium on Tuesday.
|Last Updated: Jan 22, 2014, 05:42 AM IST|Source: Reuters
Rome: A late strike by Gervinho sent AS Roma into the Italian Cup semi-finals with a 1-0 win over league title rivals Juventus in a tense atmosphere at a packed Olympic Stadium on Tuesday.
The Ivory Coast forward, who has been widely criticised for poor finishing, met Kevin Strootman`s cross with an acrobatic finish 11 minutes from time to win a niggly tie.
The victory gives Rudi Garcia`s side a measure of revenge for their 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Juve in Serie A earlier this month. Roma trail the champions by eight points.
"It was a win that we wanted at all costs," said Roma captain Francesco Totti. "We had to get our own back for the horrible defeat we suffered in Turin. Today we showed ourselves to be at the same level as a very good Juve side."
Juve coach Antonio Conte Added: "It was a very even match between two very strong sides. It`s upsetting having conceded the goal in our best moment of the match."
In the two-legged semi-finals, the Giallorossi will face one of their deadly rivals, Napoli or Lazio, who meet at the San Paolo Stadium in Naples next Wednesday (1945 GMT).
The win means Roma remain on track for a 10th Italian Cup triumph and gives them a psychological boost in the title race, although Juve started without key players including midfielder Paul Pogba and forwards Fernando Llorente and Carlos Tevez.
BIG GAP
"For me there isn`t a big gap between us, even if it`s the league table that counts. Eight points is a lot, we`re having a brilliant season, but they`re doing even better,"£ added Totti.
"If we carry on the way we played in the first half of the season we`ll be close to Juve, but if they stay at the same level, it will be difficult."
Juventus used the same tactics that saw them win the league clash, defending deep and allowing Roma to dominate possession.
However this time they were not allowed to caused any damage on the break, with their only real scoring chance coming when Federico Peluso`s header a minute after the break was disallowed after the linesman ruled that the cross had gone out of play.
"Peluso`s goal should have stood. For Isla`s cross the ball was in and not only just either," addede Conte.
After Gervinho sent the home fans wild with his karate-kick winner, the visitors could not break down a brilliantly drilled Roma side who have four games in a row in league and cup since losing at the Juventus Stadium straight after the winter break.
In the other quarter-finals, AC Milan will look to continue their winning start under their former player Clarence Seedorf against Udinese on Wednesday (2000 GMT), while Siena travel to Fiorentina for a Tuscan derby on Thursday (2000 GMT).
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.