Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan took their first step towards the Treble by defeating Roma 1-0 in the Coppa Italia.
Totti sees red as Roma lose out to Inter
Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan took their first step towards an historic Treble by defeating Roma 1-0 in the Coppa Italia final at Stadio Olimpico.
Diego Milito scored the only goal of the game, while Roma substitute Francesco Totti was dismissed late on in an often bad-tempered and fractious affair.
Now Mourinho's men have two more league games to hold onto their Serie A lead and they are preparing for a UEFA Champions League final against Bayern Munich as they aim to become the first Italian team to win the Treble.
The game got off to a dreadful start for Inter as Wesley Sniejder went down under a heavy challenge and after hobbling around for a minute he had to be replaced.
Mourinho decided to throw on forward Mario Balotelli, changing his formation in the process to a 4-3-3 from a 4-3-1-2.
Despite the change, Inter were very much in the ascendancy in the first half as Esteban Cambiasso dispossessed Mirko Vucinic in midfield and spread the ball wide to Samuel Eto'o, who slipped it inside for the charging Maicon but Julio Sergio blocked his near post shot.
Clinical finish
Moments later Maicon crossed and Thiago Motta rose highest in the box but could not keep his header down.
On 16 minutes, Eto'o played in Milito, but his clinical finish was disallowed for a marginal offside.
Eto'o turned provider again on 21 minutes, clipping the ball over the top for Balotelli, whose control was exquisite before Burdisso slid in to block his left foot volley.
Roma finally came to life on 25 minutes with a rapid break as Marco Materazzi got caught out of position, but Julio Cesar came out to get a vital touch on Rodrigo Taddei's cross and deny Luca Toni an easy tap-in.
Roma came close again as Simone Perrotta played it wide to Taddei and then met his return cross with a bullet header that flew just off target.
Inter then lost Ivan Cordoba to injury, replaced by Walter Samuel but they took the lead on 39 minutes.
Lucky
Thiago Motta played Milito in down the inside right channel and, despite having three defenders converging on him, the Argentine scampered into the box and buried a shot into the top left corner.
Roma should have drawn level on 53 minutes as Julio Cesar spilled a Totti free-kick from 30 yards, but centre-back Juan somehow contrived to head over an open goal from six yards.
Minutes later Balotelli forced Julio Sergio into a sprawling save down to his right.
With a quarter-of-an-hour left, Roma had a free-kick from 25 yards, but John Arne Riise blazed it high and wide.
Julio Cesar then had to punch away a dipping Riise volley, while Vucinic screwed a shot horribly wide after a lucky deflection played him in.
Then three minutes from time, Totti lost his head and deliberately hoofed Balotelli, earning a straight red card which he did not contest.
