Lazio got revenge on AC Milan after Saturday’s Serie A defeat, knocking last year’s finalists out of the Coppa Italia and setting up a quarter-final clash against Bologna.
These teams met again just a few days after a fiery and controversial Serie A game at San Siro on Saturday, which the Rossoneri won 1-0 with a late penalty appeal rejected. Youssouf Fofana, Santiago Gimenez and Zachary Athekame didn’t make the trip, but Ardon Jashari got his first start for the club after fracturing his fibula in August. The Aquile were still missing Danilo Cataldi, Nicolò Rovella and Samuel Gigot, but Taty Castellanos had his first start since October 4.
Strahinja Pavlović received a yellow card barely 90 seconds into the match after Pervis Estupiñán was dispossessed by Gustav Isaksen. Moments later, Toma Bašić burst forward onto a flick from Mattia Zaccagni and sent a low angled effort narrowly past the far post.
Taty Castellanos then squandered a golden chance created by a poor back-pass from Alexis Saelemaekers, mishitting his shot straight into Mike Maignan’s arms. Right before the interval, Maignan reacted quickly to deny Isaksen’s volley following a deflected corner.
After the break, Luca Pellegrini noticed Maignan off his line and tried an ambitious lob that drifted over the bar. Milan eventually produced their first real threat when Ruben Loftus-Cheek met an Estupiñán cross with a header that finished just above the target.
The Rossoneri were more aggressive in the second half and Saelemaekers saw his curler plucked out of the air by Christos Mandas, but Koni De Winter had to prevent Tijjani Noslin meeting the Zaccagni cross from six yards.
Loftus-Cheek turned another header off target at the back post on Adrien Rabiot’s cross, but Milan wasted a huge opportunity when Jashari floated a ball to the by-line for Estupinan to knock back, Rafael Leao ballooning over from eight yards.
Tijjani Noslin slightly over-hit the return pass for Zaccagni and Milan protested that a corner was awarded when it might’ve hit Alessio Romagnoli last. It was on that set play that Lazio broke the deadlock, Zaccagni peeling away from his marker for a free header at the near post on the Nuno Tavares corner.
Maignan kept the tie alive with another big reaction save to deny Noslin from close range after a free kick ricocheted around in the box.
In stoppages, Mandas flew to palm away a Christian Pulisic scuffed strike from just inside the box on Davide Bartesaghi’s cross.
