Milan pair roar into UEFA Cup semis

Inter and AC Milan lifted the spirits of Italian soccer by advancing to the last four of the UEFA Cup on Thursday as Valencia and Hapoel Tel Aviv suffered agonising quarter-final exits.

With no Italian representatives through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the second successive year, the two Milan sides showed their pedigree on a dramatic night of action.

Inter produced the performance of the night with a backs-to-the-wall 1-0 victory at Valencia in Spain to go through 2-1 on aggregate.

AC Milan dashed the dreams of Israeli giantkillers Hapoel Tel Aviv while Feyenoord won a penalty shootout against fellow Dutch side PSV Eindhoven and Germany's Borussia Dortmund also claimed their place in the semifinals.

Inter coach Hector Cuper ended his old club Valencia's 34-game unbeaten home record in European competition as his team showed fought for their lives at the Mestalla stadium to secure a 2-1 aggregate victory.

Nicola Ventola's deft finish after only two minutes proved decisive for the Italians whose goal led a charmed life as Valencia rained in shots from all angles for the rest of the match.

The Italians finished with midfielder Javier Farinos -- a former Valencia player -- in goal after Francesco Toldo was sent off in the 89th-minute after a second yellow card for time-wasting.

VALENCIA DISAPPOINTMENT

The result marked another night of European disappointment for Valencia, who have lost in the last two Champions League finals, both times with Cuper as coach.

"We only had three chances in the whole game and Valencia dominated the rest," Cuper said afterwards.

"I'm very happy with the result but I have to admit we had the run of luck."

Leading 1-0 from the first leg, Hapoel were bidding to become the first Israeli side to reach the last four of a European club competition.

But they were thwarted by AC Milan's Portugal international Rui Costa, who scored one and made the other as Milan secured a 2-0 quarter-final, second leg victory at the San Siro.

A superb free-kick by Costa gave the five-times former European champions Milan the perfect start after only five minutes.

Hapoel, who had eliminated Parma and Chelsea on their historic run to the last eight, held out until captain Shimon Gershon headed a Costa cross into his own net on the stroke of halftime.

Having avoided conceding a goal in the first leg -- played in Cyprus because of security concerns in Israel -- Hapoel only needed to score once to go through.

Salim Toema and Asaf Domb went close to grabbing the goal they needed but Milan's defence held firm.

"Italian football is going through a period of debate and I hope this win will be a boost that can get us going again," Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said afterwards.

DRAWN TOGETHER

The Milan pair could now be drawn together in Friday's semifinal draw at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Feyenoord will certainly fancy their chances if they make it to the final, which is being played in their De Kuip stadium.

Pierre van Hooijdonk was their hero in Rotterdam, scoring a last-gasp equaliser in normal time and then converting the winning penalty in the shootout.

PSV midfielder Mark van Bommel broke the deadlock in the all-Dutch clash with 15 minutes remaining.

The midfielder's strike looked to have settled the tie until van Hooijdonk's fine headed equaliser for Feyenoord in the final minute.

With the aggregate score 2-2, extra-time followed and, within four minutes, van Bommel was dismissed for a second yellow card.

Feyenoord could not take advantage but, in the penalty shootout, van Hooijdonk held his nerve after goalkeeper Edwin Zoetebier saved the effort of PSV's George Gakhokidze.

Dortmund, the 1997 European champions, are also in the hat, although Czech outsider Slovan Liberec made them work before eventually capitulating.

The Czechs held Dortmund 0-0 in Prague last week and frustrated them for another 51 minutes in the return.

Marcio Amoroso then broke the deadlock with a scrappy effort to open the floodgates -- Czech striker Jan Koller, Lars Ricken and Ewerthon securing Dortmund a 4-0 win overall.