CREMONA, Italy (Reuters) - Fiorentina earned a 2-0 win over Cremonese in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final on Wednesday, with goals by forwards Arthur Cabral and Nicolas Gonzalez.
Fiorentina were on the front foot from the word go and Cabral put them in front 20 minutes into the game with a towering header, after he was brilliantly set up by defender Cristiano Biraghi.
Fiorentina were awarded a penalty for a handball by Emanuel Aiwu, who got sent off, and Gonzalez doubled their lead in the 75th minute with a precise shot from the spot, which the Argentina international sent into the bottom left corner. The game reflected the 27-point gap between the teams in the Serie A standings, with Fiorentina enjoying the lion's share of the possession while bottom side Cremonese only managed a shot on target in the second half.
Cremonese, who are playing their second Italian Cup semi-final and first since 1986-87, eliminated AS Roma in the quarter-finals and Napoli in last 16. Juventus and Inter Milan shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw in the other semi-final first leg on Tuesday. The second-leg games will be played on April 26 and 27.
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