João Félix marked his AC Milan debut with a goal, while Tammy Abraham scored twice against his parent club to lead Milan to a 3-1 victory over Roma in their Coppa Italia quarterfinal clash at the San Siro on Wednesday.
The Rossoneri, who have lifted the Coppa Italia five times, now await the winner of the tie between Inter Milan and Lazio for a place in the two-legged semifinal.
Abraham, who swapped Roma for Milan on a season-long loan in August, opened the scoring in the 16th minute and struck again just before halftime to give the hosts control.
Roma substitute Artem Dovbyk reduced the deficit early in the second half, but Félix sealed the win in the 71st minute, just two days after arriving on loan from Chelsea.
The match started cautiously, but Milan capitalized on their first real opportunity. A fierce shot from Tijjani Reijnders forced Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar into a save, but the ball fell to Theo Hernández.
He whipped a cross back into the box, where Abraham rose high to direct a powerful header into the far corner.
Roma responded with purpose, forcing Milan keeper Mike Maignan into action to deny efforts from Eldor Shomurodov and Paulo Dybala. Niccolò Pisilli nearly leveled for the visitors, but his header rattled the crossbar and bounced clear.
Despite increasing pressure from Roma, Milan doubled their lead in the 42nd minute. After winning possession in midfield, Hernández drove forward before laying the ball off to Abraham, who had ample time to control it and fire past the advancing Svilar.
“Everybody knows how I feel about Roma, it’s a club that means a lot to me. It wasn’t nice,” Abraham told Mediaset after being jeered by the traveling fans. “I think they thought I celebrated but I didn’t celebrate, I was just thanking God. This is football, it happens.”
Roma’s triple substitution at the break breathed new life into the visitors, and it paid off nine minutes later.
Angeliño’s deflected cross caught the Milan defense off guard, allowing Dovbyk to tap in at the back post.
Milan coach Sérgio Conceição responded by introducing deadline-day signings Félix and Santiago Giménez, a move that paid immediate dividends.
Giménez played an inch-perfect through ball to Félix, who timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap and calmly lifted the ball over the onrushing Svilar.
Roma thought they had pulled another goal back when Reijnders headed into his own net, but the effort was ruled out for offside in the build-up.
Despite sustained pressure from Roma, Milan held firm. Having already secured the Italian Super Cup last month, the Rossoneri remain firmly in the hunt for another trophy this season.
