Final score

22 March 2006 21:00

Inter
20' Solari
Udinese
Referee: Massimiliano Saccani / Linesmen: Alvino, Baglioni / Fourth official: Preschern
Watch highlights
Minute Text commentary
47' Half time. Inter 1-0 Udinese.
47' Samuel tackles Tissone in the Inter area to end a diagonal run by the Bianconeri midfielder.
45' 2 minutes of added time.
44' Walter Samuel intercepts Barreto to deny the Udinese player a clear route through on goal.
42' Another good ball forward by Pizarro. It's a yard too long for Cruz and De Sanctis collects again.
41' Martins just fails to connect with Pizarro's intelligent forward pass. De Sanctis gathers.
40' Baronio fires well wide from 25 metres.
38' Inter attack back. Burdisso crosses from the left but captain Cruz fails to make clean contact with the ball.
37' Pieri's long-range shot from the left channel is saved at the near post by Julio Cesar.
35' Bertotto tackles Martins in his own area to deny the Nigerian a clear scoring chance.
34' Udinese captain Bertotto intercepts Cristiano Zanetti's through ball for Cruz.
32' De Sanctis boots clear a Natali back pass to deny an onrushing Oba Martins.
30' Andreolli blocks a Pieri cross from the left. Corner to Udinese.
29' At the other end young defender Marco Andreolli makes a headed clearance from a Baronio corner.
28' Mihajlovic's long ball forward to Cruz finishes in the hands of De Sanctis.
27' At the far post Julio Cesar collects Baronio's cross.
27' Free kick to Udinese on the right for a Kily foul on Pepe.
25' Mihajlovic beats Barreto to an Udinese pass to the right wing.
20' GOOOOAAAAAAALL!!!!! In the Udinese six-yard box Santiago Solari back-heels Martins' cross over the line and it's 1-0 to Inter.
20' That was Solari's first goal for Inter.
19' Samuel heads over from Mihajlovic's corner kick.
18' Pizarro finishes off a well-worked move by Inter with a low shot from the distance that forces De Sanctis to push behind for a corner.
15' Martins leaves Juarez for dead on the left then plays to Kily in the area. The Argentine's cross is blocked and it's an Inter corner.
13' Tissone is booked for a foul on Pizarro.
12' Solari rifles over from 20 metres.
11' The Udinese keeper fails to catch Mihajlovic's corner but there's no Inter player on hand.
10' Julio Cruz's header from Kily Gonzalez's pass is pushed round for a corner by De Sanctis.
8' Sinisa Mihajlovic's curling free kick is a yard wide of the right post.
8' Free kick to Inter 25 yards out for a Lazzari foul on Cruz, who is Inter captain tonight.
7' Another chance for Oba, who bursts forward to meet a Cristiano Zanetti through ball then has his low shot saved by De Sanctis.
6' Good chance for Inter. Martins races on to Solari's hooked pass, controls with his left foot then has his diagonal right-foot shot deflected out for a corner.
4' Baronio's cross from the right is headed clear by Nicolas Burdisso.
4' Barreto comes back on the pitch.
3' Mihajlovic plays a long ball into the Udinese area but it's too high for Martins. Goal kick to the visitors.
1' Welcome to the Meazza for tonight's Tim Cup semi-final first leg between Inter and Udinese.
1' Play is interrupted as Barreto receives treatment for a knock suffered in a confrontation with Cruz.
1' Udinese kick off. FORZA INTER!!!
1' This evening's other semi-final first leg between Palermo and Roma at the Renzo Barbera finished 2-1 in favour of the Sicilians, who came back from behind against the Giallorossi.
1' For his first match in charge of Udinese, Giovanni Galeone has also opted for a 4-4-2: 1 De Sanctis; 4 Bertotto, 14 Natali, 39 Juarez, 26 Pieri; 8 Vidigal, 16 Tissone, 88 Baronio, 33 Lazzari; 31 Barreto, 30 Pepe.
1' Roberto Mancini has chosen this 4-4-2 starting line-up to face the Bianconeri: 12 Julio Cesar; 49 Andreolli, 25 Samuel, 11 Mihajlovic, 3 Burdisso; 21 Solari, 6 C.Zanetti, 8 Pizarro, 18 Kily Gonzalez; 9 Cruz, 30 Martins.
Minute Text commentary
47' Full time. Inter beat Udinese 1-0. The return leg at the Stadio Friuli is scheduled for 12 April.
47' Vidigal heads well wide from an Udinese cross to waste a glorious chance to level the match in added time.
45' 2 minutes of added time to play.
44' Inter bring on Javier Zanetti for Oba Martins.
43' Zapata beats Martins to a forward pass by Cruz.
36' Cesar blocks Baronio's cross from the corner flag and it's another Udine corner. At the near post Vidigal heads over from Baronio's second cross.
35' Samuel beats Zapata to Baronio's good ball in from the right and concedes a corner.
34' Udinese bring on Rinaldi for Bertotto.
32' Samuel's far-post header from Mihajlovic's cross is pushed behind by De Sanctis and Inter win another corner kick.
32' De Sanctis pulls off a good save from Dejan Stankovic's fierce right-foot strike from 20 yards. Corner to Inter.
29' Inter bring on Cesar and Stankovic for Solari and Kily Gonzalez.
26' Kily Gonzalez is booked for foul play.
26' Zapata cuts out Martins' pass for Cruz in the Udine area.
25' Tissone receives from Pepe five yards outside the Nerazzurri area then bends his shot well wide of the right post.
24' Zapata tackles Martins to end a blistering run down the right by the Nigerian.
23' Oba combines with Cruz in the Udinese box but Natali tackles the Nigerian and plays to safety.
22' At the other end Martins whips in a cross from the right. Bertotto beats Cruz to the ball and concedes a corner.
21' Barreto wastes a good chance to equalise after a goalkeeping error in the Inter area by Julio Cesar.
20' Pepe is offside as he runs on to Tissone's ball upfield.
18' Julio Cesar smothers the ball after failing to hold Tissone's fierce low shot from 20 metres.
14' Candela is yellow-carded for a foul on Cristiano Zanetti and will miss the return leg at the Stadio Friuli.
13' De Sanctis collides with Natali in his own area after beating Cruz to an Inter cross from the left wing.
12' The Bianconeri goalkeeper punches clear Mihajlovic's second corner.
11' De Sanctis pushes behind Samuel's header from Mihajlovic's cross and it's another Inter corner.
11' Kily wins a corner for Inter after receiving a Pizarro through ball in the Udine area.
10' On the edge of the Udinese area Natali intercepts Cruz's headed pass for Martins.
8' Barreto's spectacular overhead kick in the Nerazzurri area is parried by Julio Cesar.
5' On the right Solari controls a crossfield pass by Mihajlovic then plays back to Pizarro but the ball rolls out for an Udinese throw-in.
3' Free kick to Udine on the left for an Andreolli foul on Candela.
2' Zapata beats Martins to a Solari ball upfield.
1' Inter get the second half under way.
1' Galeone has replaced Lazzari with Candela, and Juarez with Zapata.
Zanetti
6.46
6.46
Zanetti
7.06
7.06
Martins
5.48
5.48
Kily Gonzalez
5.61
5.61
Cruz
6.14
6.14
Stankovic
7.4
7.4
Burdisso
6.62
6.62
Mihajlovic
7.64
7.64
Andreolli
6.68
6.68
Solari
7.27
7.27
Julio Cesar
5.99
5.99
Pizarro
6.78
6.78
Samuel
7.24
7.24
Cesar
5.31
5.31
Average rating 6.55
7 shots on target 3
0 shots off target 0
23 fouls committed 16
9 corners 4
1 offsides 5
25:20 ball possession 28:40
Disciplinary situation

Inter
Disqualified: Ivan Ramiro Cordoba
Cautioned: Pierre Wome, Javier Zanetti

Udinese
Disqualified: -
Cautioned: Vincent Candela, Cesare Natali, Mirko Pieri, Damiano Zenoni

Galeone v Inter

New Udinese coach Giovanni Galeone has won 1, drawn 1 and lost 6 of his 8 matches against Inter.

Details:

1984/85 Coppa Italia Spal-Inter 0-3 ----
1987/88 Serie A Pescara-Inter 1-1 2-0
1988/89 Serie A Pescara-Inter 0-2 1-2
1992/93 Serie A Pescara-Inter 1-4 ----
1996/97 Serie A Perugia-Inter ---- 0-1
2003/04 Serie A Ancona-Inter 0-2 ----

Mancini v Udinese

Roberto Mancini has won 7, drawn 2 and lost 1 of his 10 matches against Udinese. His teams have scored in each of these matches, totalling 19 goals.

Details:

2000/01 Serie A Fiorentina-Udinese 2-1 ----
2001/02 Serie A Fiorentina-Udinese ---- 2-1
2002/03 Serie A Lazio-Udinese 2-1 1-2
2003/04 Serie A Lazio-Udinese 2-2 2-1
2004/05 Serie A Inter-Udinese 3-1 1-1
2005/06 Serie A Inter-Udinese 3-1 1-0

Mancini v Galeone

The only previous meeting between the two coaches was when Mancini's Lazio beat Galeone's Ancona 4-2 on 18 April 2004.

Details:

2003/04 Serie A Lazio-Ancona 4-2 ----

Inter's long home invincibility

Inter haven't let in an Italian Cup goal at home since Diego Lopez's 64th-minute header from Gianfranco Zola's cross in Inter 3-1 Cagliari last 18 May. That was 296 Meazza minutes ago (remaining 26 minutes of that semi-final return leg plus final return leg against Roma and this season's last sixteen and quarter-final home matches against Parma and Lazio).

Inter's long unbeaten run in cup

Inter are unbeaten in their last 18 Coppa Italia matches, their last defeat a 2-1 loss to Bari on 19 December 2002. Since that date the Nerazzurri have collected 11 wins and 7 draws. Inter's record unbeaten run in the domestic cup is 20 matches (from May 1986 to 1988).

Inter on target in 22 out of 23 home games in 2005/06

Inter have scored in 22 of their 23 home matches this season, notching a total of 49 goals. Inter 0-0 Parma in the cup back on 12 January was the only Meazza match in which the Nerazzurri have failed to score this term.

Adriano worry for De Sanctis

Since moving to Italy Adriano has scored more times against Udinese's De Sanctis and Cagliari's Chimenti than any other goalkeeper.
Adriano's five goals against the Bianconeri shotstopper: 1 in Udinese-Parma (2002/03 Serie A), 1 in Parma-Udinese (2002/03 Serie A), 1 in Udinese-Parma (2003/04 Serie A) and 2 in Inter-Udinese (2004/05 Serie A).

Miha, Seba & goals against Udinese

Sinisa Mihajlovic and Juan Sebastian Veron both count Udinese as their favourite Serie A target. The Serb defender has scored 5 of his 61 Italian goals against the Bianconeri, while 4 of the Argentine midfielder's 28 goals for Italian clubs have come in matches against Udinese.

Happy 28th birthday Walter Samuel

Born in Firmat, Argentina on 22 March 1978, Inter defender Walter Adrian Samuel celebrates his 28th birthday today.

Udinese: 2 wins in 20 matches in 2006

Wednesday's match against Inter at the Giuseppe Meazza is Udinese's 20th competitive fixture of the season. The Bianconeri have collected 8 draws, 19 defeats and just 2 victories (3-1 home win against Atalanta in Coppa Italia; 3-0 home win against Lens in UEFA Cup).

No Udinese away win since November '05

Parma 1-2 Udinese back on 27 November 2005 was the Bianconeri's last away win. Since then they have collected 3 draws and 8 defeats (4 in last 4 games) in Serie A, Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup matches.

Udinese & cup goals conceded

Udinese have let in at least one goal in each of their last 11 Coppa Italia matches (total 23 goals conceded). The last time the Bianconeri kept a Coppa clean sheet was on 13 January 2004 when they drew 0-0 with Inter at the Stadio Friuli.

DA IMPLEMENTARE
wins(4) draws(1) defeats(0)
MILAN - Santiago Solari scored Inter's 50th home goal of the season as the Tim Cup holders stay on course for a second consecutive final appearance with a 1-0 semi-final first leg victory over Udinese at the Meazza.

After De Sanctis saves from Cruz and Pizarro, Argentine winger Solari beat the Udinese keeper with his first goal in an Inter shirt on twenty minutes, a cheeky back-heel from an Obafemi Martins cross.

The Bianconeri's best chance of a first-half reply fell to Pieri, whose long-range shot from the left channel was well-saved at the near post by Julio Cesar.

Back between the posts after a seven-match absence, Inter's Brazilian keeper parried Barreto's spectacular overhead kick as Udinese pushed for an equaliser after the restart.

De Sanctis then denied Inter with two saves in quick succession, first from Stankovic's long-range screamer then from a back-post header by Walter Samuel.

In time added on Vidigal squandered a golden opportunity to level the match when he headed wide from close range.

The return leg at the Stadio Friuli will take place on Wednesday 12 April.

INTER 1-0 UDINESE (HT: 1-0)

Scorers: Solari 20

INTER: 12 Julio Cesar; 49 Andreolli, 25 Samuel, 11 Mihajlovic, 3 Burdisso; 21 Solari (31 Cesar 74), 6 C.Zanetti, 8 Pizarro, 18 Kily Gonzalez (5 Stankovic 74); 9 Cruz, 30 Martins (4 J.Zanetti 89)
Subs not used: 22 Orlandoni, 13 Zè Maria, 23 Materazzi, 20 Recoba
Coach: Roberto Mancini

UDINESE: 1 De Sanctis; 4 Bertotto (3 Rinaldi 79), 14 Natali, 39 Juarez (2 Zapata 46), 26 Pieri; 8 Vidigal, 16 Tissone, 88 Baronio, 33 Lazzari (32 Candela 46); 31 Barreto, 30 Pepe
Subs not used: 12 Paoletti, 22 Gotti, 25 Morosini, 40 Eremenko
Coach: Giovanni Galeone

Referee: Massimiliano Saccani (Mantua)

Bookings: Tissone 13, Candela 60, Kily Gonzalez 71

starting lineups

Julio Cesar 12 De Sanctis
Andreolli 49 Bertotto
Samuel 25 Natali
Mihajlovic 11 Juarez
Burdisso 3 Pieri
Solari 21 Vidigal
Zanetti 6 Tissone
Pizarro 8 Baronio
Kily Gonzalez 18 Lazzari
Cruz 9 Barreto
Martins 30 Pepe

substitutes

Orlandoni 22 Paoletti
Zanetti 4 Zapata
Ze Maria 13 Rinaldi
Materazzi 23 Gotti
Stankovic 5 Morosini
Cesar 31 Candela
Recoba 20 Eremenko