Inter Milan out of Coppa Italia after Bologna defeat
Two-time holders Inter Milan were knocked out of the Italian Cup last 16 after a last-gasp 2-1 loss to Bologna. Defender Sam Beukema and attacker Dan Ndoye scored in the second half of extra time at the San Siro to set up a quarter-final tie with Fiorentina after Carlos Augusto had opened the scoring for the Serie A leaders. Bologna, managed by ex-Inter midfielder Thiago Motta, join Fiorentina, Lazio and Frosinone, who beat league champions Napoli 4-0 on Tuesday, in the last eight. Inter coach Simone Inzaghi made plenty of changes for the game during a busy festive period, keeping the likes of playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu as well as in-form attacker Marcus Thuram out of the starting 11. Despite Inter's first-half dominance, Bologna, fourth in Serie A, came closest to opening the scoring as Giovanni Fabbian tested Inter's Emil Audero in the goal with a volley in the 13th minute. The best of Inter's nine first-half shots on goal fell to Davide Frattesi but Federico Ravaglia parried the shot wide after half an hour. Bologna showed why they had lost just twice this season, conceding just 12 times in 16 matches, with some impressive last-gasp defending and a few impressive saves from Ravaglia in just his third appearance of the season, late on in normal time. In Spain, Barcelona ground out an unconvincing 3-2 home win against basement club Almeria thanks to a late Sergi Roberto goal, moving them up to third in La Liga. Xavi Hernandez's side ended 2023 with a win behind Sergi Roberto's double and a first-half goal from Raphinha. Twice the 20th-placed visitors pegged back the Catalan giants courtesy of goals from Leo Baptistao and Edgar Gonzalez but it was eventually the home team who held out to claim the spoils. And Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane said he "can't wait" for his first winter break after scoring the winner in his side's 2-1 away win at Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. Kane, 30, scored Bayern's second after Jamal Musiala had opened the scoring, with Wolfsburg captain Max Arnold halving the deficit just before half-time. But second-placed Bayern were unable to make up ground on the table, as league leaders Leverkusen crushed Bochum 4-0 thanks to a hat-trick from Patrik Schick. (AFP)