Juve overcomes Milan, makes final

TURIN, Italy (AP) -- Juventus spared a few key players for Sunday's big match against league leader AS Roma, but still played good enough Wednesday to reach the Italian Cup final while eliminating AC Milan.

The Turin team held its Milan rivals to a 1-1 draw in their second-leg semifinal match at Delle Alpi stadium, advancing on a 3-2 aggregate score.

In the two leg final, La Juve will play the winner of the other semifinal between Brescia and Parma.

Parma takes a 2-0 lead into Thursday's second-leg match at Brescia. The home team will miss injured star forward Roberto Baggio and suspended Spanish midfielder Josep Guardiola.

AC Milan, starting an offensive team to possibly make up for a 2-1 home loss, opened the scoring with a perfect header from Spanish forward Jose Mari in the 27th minute.

Midfielder Gianluca Zambrotta tallied the equalizer and lifted Juventus into the final with a powerful left drive from the penalty area edge in the 62nd.

Javi Moreno, AC Milan's other Spanish forward, squandered an easy scoring chance in the closing minutes, kicking a perfect pass from Brazilian Serginho just wide.

La Juve, coming from a streak of six wins in league matches, rested French striker David Trezeguet and imaginative Alessandro Del Piero for the entire first half, hoping to have them more rested for Sunday's Serie A match at Rome's Olympic stadium.

The match is worth first place in the standings as the two teams are split by a single point overall.

For AC Milan, trailing AS Roma by 11 points in the table and possibly out of contention for the league title, elimination from the Italian Cup was another bad blow, adding to injuries of such key players as Manuel Rui Costa and Filippo Inzaghi.

Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko had another disappointing performance and was substituted in the second half.

Juventus' young Uruguayan goalkeeper, Fabian Carini, made a string of first-half saves on Jose Mari, Shevchenko and Andrea Pirlo.

Lazio captain Nesta to return

ROME -- Italy defender Alessandro Nesta is set to return to action this weekend but has refused to pledge his long-term future to Lazio.

Nesta, who has been out of action for a month with a knee injury, was expected to return against AC Milan last weekend but is now expecting to return to face Parma this weekend.

His return will be a boost to Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni, who has also been without AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini as he makes his World Cup preparations, which includes a warmup match against the United States in Sicily on February 13.

"I think I'll return this weekend -- the signs are positive but it depends on the coach," Nesta was quoted as saying in Wednesday's Corriere Dello Sport.

But Nesta refused to pledge his future to the club that has lurched from one crisis to another this season.

Eliminated from European competition after a disastrous Champions League campaign, Lazio are in eighth place in Serie A, eight points behind fourth-placed Chievo Verona, who hold the final qualifying spot for next season's Champions League competition.

"Next year I will play at Lazio," added Nesta.

"But I can't swear my allegiance for the whole of my career because I would be a hypocrite. The world of football lives for the moment and everything can change in a few months.

"Every year there is talk of me going to Madrid or Milan and I always stay here, as I have done for 18 years.

"Lazio has shown only 20 per cent of its potential and if we want to reach the Champions League, we have to start moving again quickly."

Report: Lazio sign Argentina midfielder Sorin

MILAN -- Lazio have signed Argentine international midfielder Juan Pablo Sorin for eight million euros (US$6.98 million) from Brazilian club Cruzeiro, Italian news agency ANSA reported on Wednesday.

Lazio were not immediately available for comment on the report that a deal was completed after talks in Rio between the Italian club's president Sergio Cragnotti, a Cruzeiro official and Sorin's agent Gustavo Mascardi.

Sorin has been linked with a move to Lazio for some time and Mascardi operates as an agent for a number of Argentine players in Italy's Serie A.

Sorin, in the frame for a place in Argentina's World Cup squad, plays wide on the left flank -- a problem area for Lazio since the departure of Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved to Juventus in the offseason.

If the deal goes ahead Sorin would not be able to play for Lazio until next season as the Italian transfer window has closed for this campaign.

 

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Reuters contributed to this report.