ROME, Jan 24 - Lazio claimed a 2-1 advantage over
Fiorentina in the first leg of their Italian Cup quarter-final
in Rome on Thursday.
Serbian full back Aleksandar Kolarov put Lazio ahead in the
20th minute with a venomous free kick from 30 metres out that
deceived Fiorentina keeper Cristiano Lupatelli.
Swiss midfielder Valon Behrami latched on to a long pass and
slipped the ball past Lupatelli to double the lead a minute
later.
Fiorentina striker Giampaolo Pazzini steered home an Adrian
Mutu cross to pull one back for the visitors six minutes before
half time.
The Florence side pressed for an equalizer after the break
and Pazzini blasted a great chance over in the 62nd.
Inter drew 2-2 with Juventus at the San Siro on Wednesday,
holders AS Roma tied 1-1 with Sampdoria in Genoa and Udinese
beat Catania 3-2 at home in the other quarter-final first legs.
The returns take place next week.
(Writing by Paul Virgo, editing by Alan Baldwin)