Inter Milan have booked their place in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo this evening.
The hosts ended the match with just 10 men after Dries Mertens picked up a late red card, after which Inter secured the win with their second of the night.
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The first half passed without major incident in Naples as neither side managed to threaten the opposition goal throughout the opening 45 minutes.
There was a little more goalmouth action after the break, however, and Pepe Reina was the first goalkeeper called into action in the second half when he comfortably collected Ivan Perisic's header from a Yuto Nagatomo cross.
It was the visitors who were creating what few chances there were, and they tested Reina again shortly after the hour mark when Stevan Jovetic's dipping effort was kept out by the former Liverpool shot-stopper.
With the traditional forward players struggling to make an impact, Gary Medel stepped in to threaten for Roberto Mancini's men, but he couldn't keep his shot from inside the box down in search of just his second ever goal for the club.
Medel did play a part in the opening goal, however, providing the pass for Jovetic to break forward, although the striker still had a lot to do as he curled the ball past a statuesque Reina and into the top corner from 25 yards.
Any Napoli hopes of a late reply were scuppered with just one minute of normal time remaining as Mertens picked up a second yellow card for a dive inside the penalty area, and things soon got worse for the 10-man hosts when they conceded a second in stoppage time.
Adem Ljajic was the man to kill off Napoli's hopes once and for all, beating Reina when one on one in the 92nd minute to wrap up the victory.
Barney Corkhill
