AC Milan rally to beat Torino and advance in Coppa Italia

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:49 am

AC Milan came back from a goal down to beat Torino 2-1 on Thursday and set up a meeting with Juventus in the Coppa Italia quarterfinals.

After Andrea Belotti put Torino ahead, Juraj Kucka and Giacomo Bonaventura responded for Milan in a three-minute span of the second half.

Torino dominated the opening period and Belotti finished off a swift counter-attack, beating Milan's 17-year-old goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, with one touch.

It was a measure of revenge for Belotti, who had a penalty saved in stoppage time of a 3-2 defeat on the Serie A opening weekend in August.

Shortly after the hour mark, Kucka equalised by redirecting in a cross near the far post, and then Bonaventura connected on a volley from the center of the area to beat goalkeeper Joe Hart.

Juraj Kucka scores for AC Milan on Thursday night.
Juraj Kucka scores for AC Milan on Thursday night.
AP Photo/Antonio Calanni

Hart was playing with his head in a bandage by that point, having taken a boot to the face from Milan forward Gianluca Lapadula.

Donnarumma restored order with Belotti by denying the Italy forward of a potential equaliser with his boot in the 69th minute, and Torino ended with 10 men when Antonio Barreca picked up his second yellow.

Lapadula dribbled past Hart in added time but had his shot cleared off the line by Torino defender Emiliano Moretti.

Milan has beaten Juventus twice this season, once in Serie A and more recently on penalties in the Italian Supercoppa last month, while Juventus defeated Milan in last season's Coppa Italia final.