Juventus advance past AC Milan to enter Coppa Italia final

Rome, June 13 (IANS): Juventus is the first Coppa Italia finalist following their goalless stalemate against AC Milan in the second leg of the semi-finals at Allianz Stadium in Turin.

The match, played in an empty stadium on Friday, postponed from its original date of March 4, was the first to be played since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in Italy, reports Xinhua news agency.

The two sides tied 1-1 after the first leg at San Siro on February 13, eight days before the pandemic broke out in the Lombardy region whose capital is Milan.

The game was preceded by a minute of silence for Italy’s more than 34,000 victims of Covid-19 and in tribute to the doctors and nurses fighting on the frontlines.

Napoli host Inter at San Paolo Stadium in Naples on June 13 after beating the Nerazzurri 1-0 in the first leg.

The final is scheduled for June 17 at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.

This year’s Italy Cup will be the first football trophy in the world to be awarded since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to RAI public broadcaster, which aired the match live.

Also on Friday, AC Milan said it has raised 650,000 euros to help fight coronavirus. “The fundraising program has also involved the Rossoneri family across the globe,” Juve said on its website.

Chinese Rossoneri fans in Sichuan and Guangzhou have donated 12,000 masks to Milan’s Policlinico Hospital, the team said.