Milan and Valencia ease into semi-finals

AC Milan will face Juventus in the Coppa Italia semi-finals after recovering from an early setback to overcome S.S. Lazio 3-1 on a night when Valencia CF coasted to a 3-0 victory at ten-man Levante UD to earn a last-four encounter with FC Barcelona.

In Milan, despite Lazio taking an early lead through Djibril Cissé, quick-fire strikes by Robinho and Clarence Seedorf turned the quarter-final on its head before Zlatan Ibrahimović came off the bench to settle an open contest six minutes from time.

Cissé had not scored in Italian football since registering against the Rossoneri at the same venue on the opening day of the league campaign and it took the French international just five minutes to silence the San Siro when he appeared unmarked to convert his first goal in 23 appearances for the Biancocelesti.

The hosts soon responded, however, with two goals in three first-half minutes, Robinho equalising athletically from eight metres on the quarter-hour mark, and Seedorf rifling a fierce shot past Federico Marchetti after racing on to a deft flick by Stephan El Shaarawy.

Marco Amelia saved superbly from Álvaro González and needed to tip Cissé's long-range attempt over the bar while at the other end the lively El Shaarawy poked wide after being played in by Robinho, but it was Ibrahimović who decided the match for Massimiliano Allegri's charges late on.

Valencia booked their place in the last four of the Copa del Rey at Levante, although much of the hard work had already taken place at Mestalla a week ago when Unai Emery's side had taken a 4-1 aggregate lead. First-half goals five minutes apart by Aritz Aduriz and Pablo Piatti – a scorer in the first leg – extended the visitors' advantage and, after Óscar Serrano was dismissed on 72 minutes, Piatti struck again with five minutes remaining.