De Rossi strike helps Roma into semis

(GSM) – Roma entered the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia on Tuesday night. A goal from Daniele De Rossi was enough to knock Catania out of the Cup: 1-0. The Sicillians ended the match with nine men after Giuseppe Bellusci and Blazej Augustyn saw red.

Roma, who faced Catania with a weakened attack due to the absence of the injured Luca Toni, Mirko Vucinic and Francesco Totti, dominated the match from start to finish.

Just before half-time it looked like De Rossi broke the deadlock. The Italian midfielder side-stepped his way past two defenders, his shot beat Catania goalkeeper Andrea Campagnolo, but it shaved the upright as the rampant Lupi continued to press forward.

Campagnolo continued to be the hero after the break as he denied De Rossi’s low-driven free kick with his feet. He then pulled off a majestic double save from Simone Perrotta and Stefano Okaka to keep hopes alive.

Roma finally took the lead after Augustyn’s red card. De Rossi’s measured strike in the bottom corner finally finished off Catania.

The Giallorossi are set to face Milan or Udinese in the semi-final.