ROME, Jan. 28-- AC Milan knocked out Torino FC 4-2 at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, commonly known as San Siro, in the third Coppa Italia quarterfinal in the northern city of Milan on Tuesday. The match was preceded by a tribute to late U.S. basketball legend Kobe Bryant, who lived in Italy as a child and who died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26. Players from both sides took to the field with back armbands in a sign of mourning for Bryant, who was a Rossoneri supporter. Milan midfielder Giacomo Bonaventura scored the first goal 12 minutes from kick-off, putting Torino against the ropes psychologically after a disastrous Serie A match that saw it lose to Atalanta 0-7 on January 25. However, the Granata side remained undaunted, making a comeback with a goal by Gleison Bremer in the 34th minute. The 23-year-old Brazilian defender, who made his Serie A debut with Torino in 2018, followed this up in the second half with a header in the 71st minute. Just when all seemed lost for the Rossoneri, midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu evened the score with a goal one minute into 5 minutes of extra time. The match ran into overtime, and Calhanoglu scored again at the 106th minute. Two minutes later, teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic cinched Milan's victory with a fourth goal. "This was an important win for us, also because of the way it came - we were down by 2-1 but we were able to believe in ourselves to the end," Milan captain Alessio Romagnoli told RAI Channel 1 public television, which broadcast the match. |