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Coppa: Quick-fire double stuns Viola Thursday 24 January, 2008

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Two goals in two minutes proved enough to give Lazio a 2-1 win over Fiorentina in tonight's Coppa Italia quarter-final first leg at the Stadio Olimpico.

Both sides had to deal with a number of absentees coming into this game, but Cesare Prandelli and Delio Rossi have both insisted that they see the Cup as priority.

After 19 minutes, the hosts took the lead through defender Aleksandar Kolarov when Viola goalkeeper Cristiano Lupatelli – in for the rested Sebastien Frey – was completely deceived by the flight of a free-kick.

Just a minute later, it was 2-0. Almost straight from the kick-off a long ball found Valon Behrami unmarked and he threaded the ball past Lupatelli and in at the near post.

The Biancocelesti smelled blood and nearly went 3-0 up when Massimo Mutarelli struck the angle of post and bar.

Just two minutes later Mutarelli blasted another rasping drive from 25 yards, which Lupatelli pushed away for a corner.

However, Fiorentina made their possession pay when they made it 2-1 at the break.

Adrian Mutu located Giampaolo Pazzini with a low cross and the former Azzurrini star’s first-time left foot strike clipped the far post and went in.

The game restarted at a reduced pace, but nearly exploded into life after an hour when Pazzini spurned a golden opportunity to level.

Pablo Daniel Osvaldo's cross from the left was touched on by Martin Jorgensen, but an unmarked Pazzini hooked over from barely six yards out.

Young Argentine marksman Osvaldo showed some silky skills to break down the left and fire narrowly over from an acute angle.

Both sides seemed fairly happy with a 2-1 score-line that leaves the tie evenly poised for the return leg.

The winner of the tie will face Inter or Juventus in the semi-finals.

Lazio 2-1 Fiorentina
Scorers: Kolarov 19 (L), Behrami 20 (L), Pazzini 40 (F)
Lazio: Muslera; De Silvestri (Siviglia 71), Stendardo, Cribari, Kolarov; Behrami, Ledesma, Mutarelli, Manfredini (Mauri 65); Pandev, Rocchi (Tare 76)
Fiorentina: Lupatelli; Potenza, Dainelli, Kroldrup, Gobbi; Donadel, Semioli, Pazienza (Kuzmanovic 66); Jorgensen, Mutu (Osvaldo 45), Pazzini

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