MILAN, Feb 5 — Inter Milan qualified for the Italian Cup semi-finals on Wednesday with a 2-1 win over a battling Torino.

French duo Ange-Yoan Bonny and Andy Diouf, both 22, put Inter 2-0 up as they threatened to run away with the tie, but Torino rallied after Croatian striker Sandro Kulenovic’s towering header set up a nervy finale.

Inter coach Cristian Chivu rested star striker Lautaro Martinez and the game was played in Monza as their San Siro stadium hosts the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday.

Inter are the first to qualify for the semis with Atalanta hosting Juventus on Thursday, while next week Napoli take on Como and Bologna await Lazio.

Centre-forward Bonny put Inter ahead with a powerful, angled header that flew straight through the arms of Torino goalkeeper Alberto Paleari on 35 minutes.

Inter then raced out of the blocks in the second half as Diouf tapped home a Marcus Thuram cross in the 47th minute.

The Serie A leaders were dominating the possession and passing with Torino struggling to contain them when Kulenovic pulled Torino back into the contest just ahead of the hour.

But Inter held out with a disciplined defensive display as Torino went down fighting. — AFP