Romelu Lukaku penalty earns Inter Coppa Italia draw at Juventus

TURIN: Juventus and Inter Milan shared the spoils in an energetic 1-1 Coppa Italia semifinal first-leg draw on Tuesday, after a stoppage-time penalty by Romelu Lukaku cancelled out a late goal by Juve midfielder Juan Cuadrado.

Juventus could have gone ahead through Angel Di Maria in the fourth minute but Inter keeper Samir Handanovic tipped away his low shot from the edge of the box.

Inter, who could have scored in the 33rd minute when Marcelo Brozovic’s shot was saved by Juve keeper Mattia Perin, dominated possession in a lively first half.

Shortly after the break Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic tried to surprise Handanovic with a close-range header from a stunning, lofted pass by Nicolo Fagioli but the attempt by Serbia forward went just over the bar.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan could have made it 1-0 for the visitors in the 64th minute with a powerful low shot towards the far post but he missed the target by centimetres.

Cuadrado gave the record 14-times winner the lead in the 83rd when he collected a loose ball inside the box and sent it into the bottom left corner after Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni had unsuccessfully tried to clear it off the line.

When it seemed that the game would end with a first-leg advantage for the home side, a handball by Juventus defender Gleison Bremer gifted the visitor a spot kick, flawlessly executed by Lukaku who sent Perin the wrong way.

The Belgian striker’s celebration in front of the Juve fans was judged to be provocative and he was sent off after a second yellow card, while Inter captain Handanovic and Cuadrado also got red cards immediately after the final whistle.

“Tonight I saw the boys very angry about this draw but we have to be good at accepting it,” Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri told Mediaset.

“In the first half we were a little too slow. When they had the ball we waited for them; in the second half we applied more pressure.”

Cremonese hosts Fiorentina in the second semifinal on Wednesday. The second-leg games will be played on April 26 and 27. Agencies

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