Milan clinch place in Italian Cup final

AC Milan clinched a place in the final of the Italian Cup after edging Perugia 2-1 here at the San Siro.

Jon Dahl Tomasson broke the deadlock with a close range effort four minutes from half-time, before Alessandro Nesta scored his first goal for the club with a firm header seven minutes after the break.

The visitors rallied in the closing stages and pulled a goal back in the 83rd minute thanks to second-half substitute Andrea Caracciolo's volley.

Seeking a place in the final for the first time, Perugia pressed for the equaliser that would have taken them through on the away goals rule, but Milan survived several scares to hold on.

Milan, four-time winners of the trophy, went through to the final 2-1 on aggregate, having drawn the first leg in Umbria 0-0.

Carlo Ancelotti's men are chasing silverware on three fronts, lying second in Serie A, five points behind leaders Juventus, and fighting for a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Ancelotti was happy with the result but disappointed with the way his side let their concentration lapse in the last half hour.

"We played well for an hour but after Perugia scored we pulled the oars into the boat," said the Milan coach.

"At this stage of the season even the Cup is important. Now we are in the final and we aim to win it."

Perugia coach Serse Cosmi thought his side were worthy of a place in the two-legged final.

"We deserved to go through for all the things we have done for the last three years," he said.

Milan dominated the first-half with Perugia rarely breaking forward and failing to manage a shot on goal.

The home side came close to opening the scoring in the third minute when Kalac Zeljko spilled Andriy Shevchenko's low drive and Tomasson followed up the rebound, but the Perugia goalkeeper recovered well to block the Dane's effort.

Despite plenty of pressure, Milan had to wait until the 41st minute before they broke Perugia's stubborn resistance.

Manuel Rui Costa's outswinging corner was flicked on by Martin Laursen for Christian Brocchi, whose mis-hit shot cannoned off the legs of Nesta into the path of Tomasson.

With the Perugia defence in disarray, the former Feyenoord striker was left unmarked to stab the ball home from close range.

Perugia started the second-half with far more purpose, but had the wind taken out of their sails in the 52nd minute when Milan doubled their advantage.

Rui Costa found space out on the right wing and his cross was met by Nesta, whose twisting header found the corner of the net despite a brave attempt by Kalac.

Perugia stirred in the last quarter and halved the deficit seven minutes from time when Jose Ze Maria's right-wing cross was met by Carraciolo, whose acrobatic scissor-kick found the bottom corner of the net.

A late onslaught gave Milan some nail-biting moments with Fabrizio Miccoli hitting the crossbar, but the 'Rossoneri' stood firm to book their place in the final.

On Wednesday AS Roma hosts city rivals Lazio in the other semi-final at the Olympic stadium. Roma won the first leg 2-1.

The winners of the Italian Cup are rewarded with a place in next season's UEFA Cup.