Fiorentina eliminate Cremonese to reach Italian Cup final

Fiorentina's Dodo, front, and Cremonese's Felix Afena Gyan battle for the ball during the Italian Cup semifinal at Artemio Franchi Stadium, Florence, Italy, on Thursday. (AP)
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Updated 28 April 2023
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Fiorentina eliminate Cremonese to reach Italian Cup final

  • A 0-0 draw was enough for Fiorentina to advance after winning the first leg 2-0
  • The Tuscan squad eliminated Cremonese and will also face Basel in the Europa Conference League semifinals next month

FLORENCE, Italy: Fiorentina are in the running for domestic and European trophies this season.

The Tuscan squad eliminated Cremonese on Thursday to reach the Italian Cup final against Inter Milan and will also face Basel in the Europa Conference League semifinals next month.

A 0-0 draw was enough for Fiorentina to advance after winning the first leg 2-0.

Defending champions Inter eliminated Juventus in the other semifinal on Wednesday.

Fiorentina produced many more chances than Cremonese but never really came close to scoring.

Fiorentina are aiming for its seventh Italian Cup trophy, which would put them level with Lazio for fourth place on the all-time list behind Juventus (14), Roma (9) and Inter (8). The Viola last won the Italian Cup in 2001.

Cremonese had eliminated Serie A leader Napoli and Roma in succession to get to the last four.

By reaching the final, Fiorentina also qualified for next season’s expanded Italian Super Cup, which will feature the two finalists and the top two finishers in Serie A.

The final will be held May 24 in Rome.


Tottenham Hotspur sack manager Frank with relegation dogfight looming

Updated 58 min 18 sec ago
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Tottenham Hotspur sack manager Frank with relegation dogfight looming

  • Pressure on Thomas Frank had been mounting and Tuesday’s 2-1 home defeat by Newcastle United left his team in 16th place

LONDON: Tottenham ‌Hotspur have sacked manager Thomas Frank after nine months in charge, the Premier League club said on Wednesday, after a woeful run of results left the north London club hovering five points above the relegation zone.
Pressure on Frank had been mounting and Tuesday’s 2-1 home defeat by Newcastle United left his team in 16th place with 29 points from 26 matches and looking over their ‌shoulder at the ‌relegation zone.
“Thomas was appointed in ‌June ⁠2025, and we have ⁠been determined to give him the time and support needed to build for the future together,” Spurs said in a statement.
“However, results and performances have led the Board to conclude that a change at this point in the season is ⁠necessary.”
Frank, who joined Brentford in 2018 ‌and established them as ‌a top-flight club after gaining promotion, has struggled to replicate ‌those methods at last season’s Europa League ‌winners Tottenham.
The writing looked to be on the wall for the 52-year-old after Tuesday’s defeat by Newcastle United — their 11th of the league campaign.
Supporters left no doubt ‌about their feelings with jeers ringing out around the club’s stadium and chants ⁠of “You’re getting ⁠sacked in the morning” directed at Frank.
It was Tottenham’s seventh league defeat at home in the Premier League this season and they have won only two of their 13 league games in front of their own fans.
Tottenham supporters were also singing the name of former coach Mauricio Pochettino, who got them to the 2019 Champions League final, on Tuesday. The Argentine is currently manager of the US men’s national team.