Inter in Italian Cup final,stay in hunt for treble

Inter Milan advanced to the Italian Cup final with a 1-0 win over Fiorentina on Tuesday,keeping alive its hopes of becoming the first Italian club to pull off a treble.

Samuel Etoo scored the winner in the 57th minute,slipping all alone behind Fiorentinas immobile defense,collecting a pass from Thiago Motta and easily beating goalkeeper Sebastien Frey.

We did what we had to do, Inter assistant coach Daniele Bernazzani said.

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Trailing AS Roma by one point in the Serie A and having also reached the Champions League semi-finals,Inter was aiming to become the first Italian club to win all three titles in the same season.Everything is on the line this month, Bernazzani said.

Inter advanced 2-0 on aggregate,having won the opening leg 1-0 in early February with a goal from Diego Milito.

In the May 5 final,Inter will face either AS Roma or Udinese,who complete their semifinal next week,with Roma having won the opening leg 2-0.

Inter and Fiorentina also met three days ago in Serie A,playing to a 2-2 draw which cost Inter the Serie A lead.

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Languishing in ninth place in Serie A,Fiorentina was hoping for an Italian Cup victory to secure a place in next seasons Europa League.

Fiorentina controlled most of the first half,with Alberto Gilardino,Stevan Jovetic and Riccardo Montolivo failing to take advantage of scoring opportunities.

Gilardino put a shot through the legs of Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar in the 25th but Lucio cleared the ball off the goal line. We allowed a goal and then we lost our confidence, Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli said.