Deadly Eto scores brace in Italian Cup final

May 29, 2011, 21:42 GMT

Rome - A brace by Samuel Eto'o in a mostly defensive game allowed Inter Milan to lift the Italian Cup with a 3-1 win over Palermo on Sunday in Rome.

The Nerazzurri won their seventh national cup, retaining the one won last year, when they also secured the Champions League and the Serie A title.

Inter this year finished second behind AC Milan in the home league and were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but were successful in the Italian Supercup and in the Club World Cup.

At the Stadio Olimpico, Palermo were fully in control early in the game, but were beaten on 26 minutes when a deep feed from Wesley Sneijder sent Cameroon star Eto'o into the box for a perfect control and a low flick to the left of Salvatore Sirigu.

The striker proved again his deadliness in the area with 14 minutes left, scoring his 37th goal in the last game of the Italian season - he had scored one less goal in the 2008-09 season, his last with Barcelona before moving to Inter.

'What is most important in football is to win the trophies,' Eto'o said. '(Mine) is a great (personal) record, but without title it would have been a trophy with a bitter taste.'

Palermo were stunned despite their attack-geared game, with Uruguayan Abel Hernandez missing a first-minute chance before Argentine Javier Pastore had an imperfect control in the box and fired high on 20 minutes.

The Sicily side resumed their pressing after falling behind, but Julio Cesar made his most difficult save in the first half to prevent an own goal from Romanian Cristian Chivu, and easily grabbed a central drive from Hernandez.

A harmless drive from defender Federico Balzaretti was Palermo's first effort after a half-time that Palermo started at a brisk pace, forcing a very difficult deflection from Julio Cesar with a header by substitute veteran Fabrizio Miccoli on the hour.

Ezequiel Munoz pulled one back with a corner-kick header on 88 minutes but was dismissed with a double booking, before Eto'o hit the bar with a fast free kick and Argentine substitute Diego Milito scored a closing goal off a feed from Macedonian Goran Pandev, who had just come on from the bench.