Inter cruise in Coppa at empty home
MILAN: Inter Milan cruised into the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia on Sunday after beating second-tier Benevento 6-2 in a match played behind closed doors following the racist abuse of Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly last month. Inter ran riot in a San Siro left empty as part of the punishment the club received for the monkey chants directed at Koulibaly during their 1-0 Boxing Day win over Napoli. “That wasn’t a real match tonight,” said Inter coach Luciano Spalletti. “The protagonists of the game are the fans, who should come and have fun watching the show on the pitch. “We can’t deprive good people of enjoyment because others disturb the match [with their behaviour]. We need to reward that type of fan, who needs to take a stand against the chants they don’t want to take part in.” Spalletti’s side were two up inside seven minutes thanks to a roaring start that saw Mauro Icardi open the scoring from the spot following a foul on Antonio Candreva, who was on hand to crash home after striker Icardi hit the post from a corner to double the hosts’ lead. In the quarter-finals, Spalletti’s side will take on Lazio, embroiled in a racism scandal of their own. Napoli will take on AC Milan in the last eight after beating Sassuolo 2-0 on Sunday.