Roma have been knocked out of the Coppa Italia after a 2-0 defeat to Inter in the quarter-final.
Just like in the league fixture between the two sides in December, ex-Roma man Edin Dzeko scored against his former employers, breaking the deadlock for Inter with a fine strike inside two minutes.
Given how the previous meeting went, there could have been fears of the scoreline building up – especially when Nicolo Barella hit the bar soon after. But Roma slowly gained some composure and kept the scoreline at 1-0 by the half-time break.
Nicolo Zaniolo had had Roma’s best chance of the first half, aiming straight at Samir Handanovic one-on-one after being played in by Tammy Abraham.
After the break, the action picked up around the hour mark. Rui Patricio made a good save from a swerving Nicolo Barella effort; at the other end, Zaniolo forced a goalline clearance from Milan Skriniar after a chip from a wide (albeit offside) position.
Inter doubled their lead midway through the second half in stunning fashion, when Alexis Sanchez fired across goal and into the top corner from distance.
Once again, Roma’s chances now looked slim. Abraham tried to change that when heading against the bar from a corner (but having committed a foul in the process).
There were no further opportunities of note to reduce the deficit, let alone get back into a position of parity. It means the Europa Conference League will be Roma’s only hope of a trophy now this season, while the attention returns to Serie A duties before the resumption of that competition.
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