Ronaldo has delayed reward as Juventus edge past Inter and into Italian cup final
ROME: Juventus beat Inter Milan 2-1 on aggregate to reach the Coppa Italia final following a 0-0 draw in the second leg of the semi-final. Leading from the first leg in Milan, Juve survived a couple of scares before making it to the final for the second successive season. Former Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi missed presentable chances for the visitors. Cristiano Ronaldo was denied by two superb saves from Samir Handanovic. Inter took the lead in the first leg through Argentina striker Lautaro Martinez but Portugal forward Ronaldo scored twice in a nine-minute spell. Juve will face the winners of the second semi-final between Atalanta and Napoli – who meet on Wednesday with the tie 0-0 after the first leg – in the final on 19 May. Napoli beat Juventus 4-2 in a penalty shootout in last season’s Coppa Italia final. In Spain . . . Real Madrid moved up to second in La Liga as they closed the gap to leaders Atletico Madrid with a comfortable win over Getafe. The reigning champions began the contest without nine first-team players because of injury or suspension but were dominant throughout. Karim Benzema headed in the opener before defender Ferland Mendy doubled the lead from a move he started. Real now trail Atletico by five points but have played two games more. With the likes of Eden Hazard, Sergio Ramos, Federico Valverde, Toni Kroos and Alvaro Odriozola all absent, Real boss Zinedine Zidane elected to field an unusual 3-4-3 formation. It worked perfectly against opponents who lacked ambition and have struggled for goals in the Spanish top flight this term. Marvin Park, 20, provided an outlet on the right on his first start, and with the result secure Zidane handed a league debut to 20-year-old defender Victor Chust late on. In England . . . An extra-time goal from substitue Scott McTominay earned Manchester United a 1-0 win over West Ham in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Premier League Burnley were knocked out by second-tier Bournemouth, losing 2-0 at home at Turf Moor also to reach the quarter-finals. ##############
