| Minute | Text commentary |
| 47' | It's 0-0 after the first half of this evening's cup quarter-final first leg. |
| 47' | Back at the other end, Vanigli does well to cut out Adriano's low right-wing cross for Ibrahimovic. Throw-in for Inter. |
| 47' | Maxwell, who has seen a lot of the action in this opening half, makes a headed clearance from Eder's right-wing cross. |
| 45' | Two minutes of overtime to play. |
| 45' | Maicon has a long-range shot blocked by the Azzurri defence as Inter look for an opener before the break. |
| 45' | Inter remain in attack. Figo crosses from the right-wing by-line, Ibra rises to meet the ball but his header is off-target. |
| 44' | Maicon's outswinging cross from the right is grasped by Bassi. |
| 44' | Adriano's headed pass from a Maxwell cross is booted out for a corner by Empoli defender Vanigli. |
| 42' | Marianini just fails to connect with a dangerous inswinging free kick from the left. |
| 41' | Inter close to an opener. Adriano bursts an opponent on the left and crosses into the six-yard box. Bassi parries, and Vieira's header from the loose ball is cleared off the line by Marzoratti. |
| 39' | Matteini outpaces Dacourt on the left and crosses. Burdisso intercepts and clears. |
| 38' | At the other end, Empoli win a left-wing corner. They play it short, and Maxwell is quick to win the ball. The Azzurri remain in the Inter third. Ascoli's deep cross from the left is caught by Francesco Toldo. |
| 37' | Figo plays a sweet one-two with Ibra and goes down on the edge of the area after contact with Iacoponi. The Portuguese midfielder is booked for protesting. That's three yellow cards in five minutes. |
| 36' | Adriano powers down the right but is tackled when entering the box. Inter remain in attack and Ibrahimovic tests Bassi with a central shot inside the Tuscan area. |
| 34' | Iacoponi yellow-carded for fouling Luis Figo just inside the Empoli half. |
| 32' | Marco Materazzi booked for a lunge on Iacoponi. |
| 31' | Figo is dispossessed in the Empoli box by Marianini, who appears to handle the ball. |
| 30' | Materazzi is beaten to a Figo cross from the left-wing corner flag. |
| 29' | Ibra's cross from the left for Adriano is booted clear by the opposing defence. |
| 29' | Toldo moves quickly off the line and smothers the ball to deny Gasparetto a chance from Matteini's through ball, though Burdisso had the ball covered. |
| 27' | At full stretch, Gasparetto fails to connect with Matteini's fast cross into the Inter box from the left wing. |
| 25' | Empoli contain Figo and Maxwell as the Nerazzurri look for openings down the left. Inter insist, but Adriano's ball into the box for Vieira is intercepted. |
| 24' | Ibrahimovic makes a headed clearance from Eder's right-wing corner. |
| 23' | Matteini races down the left before crossing into the box. It takes a slight deflection and Empoli win their first corner of the game. |
| 23' | Deep cross by Figo from the right. Headed clearance by Iacoponi. |
| 21' | Luis Figo's curling free kick sails into the right corner but the goal is ruled out as referee Morganti had given an indirect free kick. |
| 20' | Marianini yellow-carded for a foul on Ibra after the Swedish forward received from Figo. Free kick to us 25 yards out. |
| 19' | Empoli break after Marzoratti intercepts a Vieira pass for Maicon. Nothing comes of the move, with Matteini crossing out of play from the left wing. |
| 18' | Bassi is quick off his line to beat Ibra to Maxwell's well-timed cross from the left. |
| 17' | Eder whips in a cross from the right. No problem for Maicon. |
| 16' | Adriano controls a Figo pass into the Empoli box but is dispossessed by Vanigli. From the resulting corner Bassi clears Figo's cross. |
| 12' | Matteini plays back to Ascoli, whose long-range effort is nothing to write home about. |
| 11' | Free kick to Empoli on the left wing for a foul by Vieira on Gasparetto. |
| 9' | Marianini crosses from the left but there's no team-mate on hand in the Inter box and Maxwell plays to safety. |
| 9' | Dacourt cuts out a Gasparetto pass for Buzzegoli to thwart a Tuscan attack. |
| 8' | Figo slips whilst taking his second corner. Empoli hit us on the break but Maxwell does well to get back, tackle Gasparetto and regain possession. |
| 7' | Figo's inswinger from the left-wing corner flag is palmed out for a right-wing corner by Empoli keeper Bassi. |
| 7' | Maxwell has a left-wing cross blocked. Corner for Inter. |
| 3' | Buzzegoli's backheel in the area from a Matteini left-wing cross is intercepted by the Inter defence. |
| 1' | Happy New Year to all Nerazzurri fans. Inter's competitive 2007 begins here at the Stadio Castellani with a Tim Cup quarter-final first-leg clash against Empoli. |
| 1' | Matteini has a go from 25 yards but his right-foot effort is off-target. |
| 1' | Maxwell tackles Eder to end an Empoli attack down the right. |
| 1' | Empoli kick off. FORZA INTER!!! |
| 1' | Inter: 1 Toldo; 13 Maicon, 16 Burdisso, 23 Materazzi, 6 Maxwell; 14 Vieira, 15 Dacourt, 4 Zanetti; 7 Figo; 8 Ibrahimovic, 10 Adriano. |
| 1' | Empoli: 1 Bassi; 19 Iacoponi, 16 Marzoratti, 15 Vanigli, 33 Ascoli; 27 Ficini, 8 Marianini, 20 Buzzegoli; 17 Eder, 99 Gasparetto, 7 Matteini. |
| 1' | The Nerazzurri last faced the Tuscan side away from home in Serie A Week 15 a month ago, and ran out 3-0 winners thanks to goals from Crespo, Ibrahimovic and Samuel. |
| Minute | Text commentary |
| 48' | Inter have one foot in the Tim Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Empoli at the Stadio Castellani. |
| 46' | GOOOAAALLL!!!! Ivan Cordoba rises to head in a Mariano Gonzalez left-wing cross. Empoli 0-2 Inter. |
| 45' | Three minutes of added time. |
| 44' | Empoli close through Gasparetto who outjumps Cordoba before flicking Rincon's left-wing cross over the bar. |
| 43' | Gonzalez gets into a shooting position and rifles on target, but Vanigli blocks. |
| 41' | Javier Zanetti close to scoring in the stadium he scored in four years ago. The Inter captain lobs Bassi from a tight angle but the ball goes out for an Empoli goal kick. |
| 39' | Bassi smothers the ball after goalbound Adriano's shot takes a deflection. |
| 38' | Bassi's pulls off a reflex save from Adriano's bullet header from Figo's right-wing free kick. |
| 36' | Mancini brings on Ivan Cordoba for Maxwell. |
| 35' | Buzzegoli's curling free kick is well over Toldo's left-wing post. |
| 34' | Iacoponi wins a free kick just outside the Inter area after being brought down by Burdisso. |
| 32' | Empoli replace Matteini with Balzareddu. |
| 31' | Inter make their second switch: on comes Mariano Gonzalez for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. |
| 31' | Adriano is presented with a good chance for Inter's second but his diagonal shot is over the bar. |
| 29' | Empoli make a double subtitution: Cesaretti and Rincon replace Eder and Ascoli. |
| 26' | GOOOOAAAAAALLLL!!!!! Adriano runs on to Ibrahimovic's superb through ball, picks his spot and lobs Bassi to put us in front. |
| 24' | Inter replace Olivier Dacourt with Esteban Cambiasso. |
| 22' | Adriano chests down Ibra's delightful ball over the Empoli defence and tries to poke in from a tight angle. Bassi blocks and Inter win another corner. |
| 21' | Vanigli heads out a Maicon cross for an Inter corner. Figo's cross from the right-wing corner flag is cleared. Maxwell's follow-up from distance is blocked. |
| 19' | Corner to Inter after a tackle by Vanigli on Adriano. |
| 18' | Inter close yet again. Ibra's flicked header from Vieira's pass is saved by Bassi. |
| 17' | Empoli win a free kick on the right wing for a Maxwell foul on his compatriot Eder. |
| 15' | Marianini plays a quick one-two with Buzzegoli. The ball falls to Matteini whose curling effort from outside the Nerazzurri area is just wide of the right post. |
| 12' | Yet another chance for the Nerazzurri. Figo creates a yard of space with a bit of magic on the left and crosses for Ibrahimovic, whose close-range shot is hooked clear by Vanigli. |
| 10' | Free kick to Inter 25 yards out for an Ascoli foul on Luis Figo. |
| 9' | Inter hit straight back and go close again as Vieira's near-range effort from Adriano's cross is saved by Bassi. |
| 8' | Empoli break with Matteini after Adriano loses possession in the opposing half. Nothing comes of the move as Materazzi wins the ball off the Azzurri winger. |
| 6' | Matteini's cross from the left takes a slight deflection off Maicon before finishing in the arms of Toldo. Inter hit Empoli on the break, but Bassi beats Adriano to Figo's cross from the right. |
| 5' | Bassi collects an Ibrahimovic cross into the Empoli area. |
| 5' | Free kick to Inter on the left wing. Matteini's inswinging cross is easy prey for Toldo. |
| 3' | Inter close again as Adriano sidefoots wide Ibrahimovic's low cross from the right. |
| 2' | Bassi blocks an Ibrahimovic's cross-shot. |
| 2' | Inter win a left-wing corner. Figo's inswinging cross is punched clear by Bassi, who beats Adriano to the ball. |
| 1' | Inter get the second half under way. |