Milan :Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off and Christian Eriksen fired a dramatic late winner to earn Internazionale a 2-1 victory in a dramatic Coppa Italia quarterfinal in the San Siro on Wednesday (27 January).
Ibrahimovic started the match with a clinical finish in front of goal after the Swede fired home on 31 minutes to give Milan the lead, scoring his eighth goal in seven appearances for Milan against Inter in all competitions.
Towards the end of the first half, the Milan derby gained its drama as Ibrahimovic was booked for a clash with Inter’s Romelu Lukaku, as both of them continued their heated argument even after the first half whistle went off.
Ibrahimovic picked up his second yellow for a foul on Aleksandar Kolarov and was sent off in the 58th minute. Inter took advantage of the 10 man Milan, as Lukaku fired a penalty on 71 minutes to equalize.
Inter attacked the Milan goal for the rest of the half but could not find a winner until substitute Eriksen scored in the stoppage-time with a free kick to confirm his side a semi-final clash with either Juventus or SPAL who play on Thrusday (28 January).
Milan are currently on top of the Serie A standings with 43 points, two points clear of rivals Inter, with both targeting to end Juventus’ nine-year title-winning run.
Conte said after the match that he expects Eriksen to stay and also said, “because we’re not signing any player, so we won’t let him leave the club. I’m so happy for his goal.”
