Coppa Italia Semi-Final: Milan and Inter Draw 1-1 in First Leg

The first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final between Milan and Inter ended in a 1-1 draw, setting up an intriguing second leg. Tammy Abraham opened the scoring for Milan early in the second half, but Hakan Calhanoglu equalized for Inter with a powerful long-range strike.

Both teams had chances throughout the match. Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez made key saves to deny Rafael Leao and Abraham in the first half. Milan keeper Mike Maignan also came up big, stopping efforts from Hakan Calhanoglu and Davide Frattesi before halftime.

Milan broke through just after the restart when Abraham pounced on a loose ball to fire home from close range. However, Inter responded well and found the equalizer through Calhanoglu’s low drive from outside the box that squirmed under Maignan.

The momentum shifted towards Inter after the goal, with Maignan forced into several impressive saves to preserve the draw. Leao nearly won it late for Milan but saw his curling effort skim the far post.

With the tie finely balanced at 1-1, the second leg on April 23 will determine which team advances to face either Bologna or Empoli in the Coppa Italia final. Both Milan and Inter will feel they have a strong chance of progressing after an evenly-matched first encounter.