Bayern, Inter through to Cup quarters
LONDON: On a busy day of domestic cup action across Europe on Tuesday, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan punched their tickets to the quarter-finals.
Bayern, top of the Bundesliga and through to the knockout stage of the Champions League, needed a long-range goal from Spaniard Xabi Alonso to secure a 1-0 victory over Darmstadt 98 that put them into the German Cup last eight.
Rodrigo Palacio, Marcelo Brozovic, and Ivan Perisic scored as Serie A leaders Inter cruised into the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup with a 3-0 win over second tier Cagliari.
In Spain, Sevilla, Espanyol, Real Betis and Deportivo La Coruna all advanced to the last 16 of the Copa Del Rey to join already-qualified Barcelona and Cadiz.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Lille continued their resurgence under new boss Frederic Antonetti as they reached the quarter-finals of the French League Cup with a 1-0 win over second-tier Laval.
ALONSO THUNDERBOLT
Bayern laboured to overcome a well-organised Darmstadt, and did not create many chances against the Bundesliga newcomers at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Alonso eventually made the breakthrough when he launched a spectacular strike from outside the area which hit the top left-hand corner and gave Darmstadt goalkeeper Christian Mathenia no chance five minutes before the break.