Barella blows away Fiorentina as Inter reach the Coppa Italia semi - final

MILAN - It’s the balls that drop from the sky that are the hardest to take. Not only do you have to watch their trajectory, but you also have to study them, counting your steps. And that is exactly what Nicolò Barella did on Wednesday evening, as he patiently waited before firing a superb right-footed strike into the bottom corner. It was a volley for the ages - one that finally put Fiorentina to bed and earned the Nerazzurri a spot in the Coppa Italia semi-final. 

Napoli now awaits in the next round. This is thanks to a 2-1 win over the Viola tonight, with Candreva first putting Inter ahead in the first half before Barella then blasted in the winner to cancel out Caceres’ equaliser. It was a positive night all around for the hosts, with 51,000 fans in attendance to witness the debuts of both Eriksen and Moses. 

Christian Eriksen’s first outing at San Siro was certainly well-fitted for a player of his stature, as he entered the field during a tense quarter-final with all to play for. Antonio Conte went for it right from the off against the Viola, starting with Alexis Sanchez supporting Lukaku and Lautaro up top. Meanwhile, the opposition settled into a 3-5-2 formation that relied heavily on the counter-attack, as well as the pace of both Chiesa and Vlahovic.

It was precisely this pairing that Iachini hoped would threaten Inter, making the most of open spaces and attacking a Nerazzurri defence missing both de Vrij or Skriniar. Early on Fiorentina had a good chance to score in the fifth minute, with Lirola flashing a low drive just wide of the post. What followed was then a tricky fixture for Inter, as the team struggled to break through the dense Fiorentina defence and with Sanchez having little joy in seeking out pockets of space in between the lines. 

This led to several limited attempts from outside the box, with the Inter attack failing to capitalise from the hard running of both Young and Candreva on the flanks. However, it was the latter who made the breakthrough just before half-time - making the most of a defensive mix-up before sliding the ball into an empty net after a flick through from Lautaro. 

The tempo after the break was completely different: backed on by over 51,000 fans, Inter started to play higher up the pitch and show more of a ruthless streak. Almost by magic, the Nerazzurri’s strikers began to combine effectively. Barella was a real engine in midfield as he drove the Nerazzurri forward with intensity, while Lautaro started to cause the Viola defence all sorts of problems. In the 48th minute, the Argentine striker hit the side netting with his left foot. In the first 15 minutes of the second period, Inter had Fiorentina on the ropes. Dalbert made an intervention to deny Lautaro before El Toro then fired narrowly over the bar with a powerful effort. With 58 minutes on the clock, Terracciano pushed Vecino’s header behind for a corner following Young’s excellent cross.

But just when Inter were really putting on the pressure, Fiorentina grabbed an equaliser, with Caceres managing to get above Lautaro and head Pulgar’s corner into the net. The goal came as a surprise and brought a new lease of life to the away side, who almost took the lead in the 64th minute: Handanovic was forced to rush off his line to thwart Vlahovic. With Inter having survived a big scare, they managed to find a response: Eriksen came on for his debut and just seconds later Conte’s men restored their advantage. And what a strike it was! Barella found the net with a brilliant volley after the ball had dropped to him on the edge of the box. It was a goal that came about following good work by Lautaro and Vecino, with the latter of whom having constantly looked to get forward all match.

Inter’s second of the evening took the wind out of the away side’s sails, and Conte’s men managed to keep the Viola comfortably at bay for the rest of the match. Conte also sent on Victor Moses for his Inter debut as the Nerazzurri managed the game excellently in the final stages. 2-1 was the final score, and a semi-final clash against Napoli now awaits Inter in the Coppa Italia.

INTER 2-1 FIORENTINA

INTER (3-4-1-2): 1 Handanovic; 2 Godin, 13 Ranocchia, 95 Bastoni; 87 Candreva (11 Moses 74'), 8 Vecino, 23 Barella, 15 Young; 7 Sanchez (24 Eriksen 66'); 10 Lautaro, 9 Lukaku (30 Esposito 88').Subs: 27 Padelli, 46 Berni, 20 Borja Valero, 21 Dimarco, 31 Pirola, 32 Agoume, 33 D'Ambrosio, 34 Biraghi, 37 Skriniar.Coach: Antonio Conte.

FIORENTINA (3-5-2): 1 Terracciano; 4 Milenkovic, 17 Ceccherini, 22 Caceres; 21 Lirola (18 Ghezzal 85'), 24 Benassi, 78 Pulgar, 5 Badelj (63 Cutrone 56'), 29 Dalbert; 25 Chiesa (11 Sottil 80'), 38 Vlahovic. Subs: 69 Dragowski, 33 Brancolini, 6 Ranieri, 15 Olivera, 16 Eysseric, 19 Montiel, 23 Venuti, 27 Zurkowski, 93 Terzic.Coach: Giuseppe Iachini.

Goalscorers: 44' Candreva (I), 60' Caceres (F), 67' Barella (I).Bookings: Caceres (F), Dalbert (F), Sottil (F).Notes: Yellow card for Giuseppe Iachini (F)Added time: 1' - 3'.

Referee: Doveri.Assistants: Del Giovane, Prenna.Fourth official: La Penna.VAR and VAR assistant: Mazzoleni, Lo Cicero.