Milan, Paris: A fine second-half header from Jose Callejon fired Napoli into the semi-finals of the Italian Cup and a last four date with either Juventus or AC Milan after a bad-tempered 1-0 win over Fiorentina on Tuesday.
Both sides finished with 10 men at the Artemio Franchi stadium after a fiery finale that saw Napoli defender Elseid Hysaj then Fiorentina’s Maximiliano Olivera sent off within minutes of each other.
But Napoli were fully deserving of the win in a season, which has seen Maurizio Sarri’s men keep Juventus on their toes as they bid for a record sixth consecutive Serie A title.
Stand-in striker Dries Mertens started on the bench as Sarri gave Leonardo Pavoletti his first start in a Napoli shirt, and the absent Belgian’s clinical finishing was perhaps missed in a wasteful first half for the hosts.
Pavoletti blazed over the Fiorentina bar and Ciprian Tararusanu was even more alert to the danger when he tipped Lorenzi Insigne’s free kick at the near post on to the crossbar.
Insigne, then Callejon spurned further chances before the end of a first half which, after battling to a thrilling 3-3 draw in their last league outing, surprisingly finished scoreless.
Fiorentina’s sole chances came on the counter, but the threat was real, Pepe Reina palming Federico Chiesa’s shot over from a tight angle before producing a fine one-handed save to parry a Davide Astori header.
Fiorentina resumed in determined fashion, Chiesa dribbling his way into the area only to be stopped in his tracks by an onrushing Reina. At the other end, Insigne’s angled drive on the left flank that was blocked yards from goal.
But Napoli regained command, Pavoletti beating a flailing Tatarusanu but seeing his free kick from outside the area hit post and crossbar, prompting Sarri to immediately replace the big frontman with the more diminutive, but more successful Mertens.
Mertens has taken his league tally to an impressive 12 league goals after stepping in to replace injured Poland centre-forward Arkaduisz Milik during his lengthy injury absence.
In Paris, Edinson Cavani and Angel Di Maria propelled holders Paris Saint-Germain into a fourth straight French League Cup final with both scoring twice in a 4-1 victory at Bordeaux.
Argentine Di Maria’s stunning free-kick gave record six-time champions PSG the lead, but Diego Rolan cancelled out the winger’s effort just past the half hour.
Cavani put the visitors back on top with a thumping finish on 60 minutes before adding a second, while Di Maria again struck from distance as PSG set up an April 1 showdown with the winner of Wednesday’s semi-final between Monaco and Nancy.
Paris have dominated this competition in recent years, winning each of the past three editions, and Unai Emery ignored any temptations to rest players ahead of Sunday’s pivotal clash with Ligue 1 leaders Monaco by fielding a full-strength side.
“We want to play for all the titles and to win as many as possible,” said Emery. “This team deserves its place in this final.
“(Against Monaco) it’s going to be a big match for the league. We want to win because today they are first.”
