Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain scored twice to send former club Napoli crashing out of the Italian Cup semifinals on a night of bitter emotions Wednesday. Napoli won the second leg 3-2 but it was little consolation after it had been soundly beaten 3-1 in the first match in Turin as Juventus moved into a final against Lazio. Whistled and jeered throughout the 1-1 Serie A draw at the same San Paolo ground at the weekend, Argentine star Higuain responded in deadly fashion Wednesday against the club he controversially quit in the summer. When he opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with a right foot shot, Higuain couldn't disguise his anger at his treatment, running to celebrate in front of the VIP box and Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis. Higuain made a gesture to the box, indicating that the Napoli chief was to blame for his departure. Marek Hamsik leveled for Napoli after 53 minutes before Higuain netted his second just five minutes later from a cross by Juan Cuadrado. Substitute Dries Mertens equalized again for Napoli before Lorenzo Insigne added the winner on the night for the home team even though it proved in vain. The aggregate win gave Juventus a place in the Italian Cup final for the third successive year and on course for a Serie A and Champions League sweep. Lazio reached the Italian Cup final Tuesday despite losing 3-2 in the second leg to bitter city rival Roma, advancing 4-2 on aggregate. Real keeps Barca in check Alvaro Morata scored twice as Real Madrid maintained a two-point lead over Barcelona at the top of La Liga by making light of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale's absence in a 4-2 win at Leganes. Earlier, Wednesday, Lionel Messi's double on his return from suspension and Luis Suarez's stunning overhead kick helped Barcelona sweep aside Sevilla 3-0. Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane gambled on the strength of his squad ahead of a mammoth 18 days which sees the European champion welcome Atletico Madrid and Barcelona to the Santiago Bernabeu and also meet old foes Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals. Lyon blanks Metz Striker Alexandre Lacazette's 24th league goal of the season helped Lyon win 3-0 at Metz Wednesday, his team's first away victory of the year. Midfielders Jordan Ferri and Corentin Tolisso — who made his France debut last week — capped Lyon's win with late goals. Fourth-place Lyon's last league success on its travels was a 3-1 win at leader Monaco in December. Winger Hatem Ben Arfa proved a point to manager Unai Emery with two goals and an assist as Paris Saint-Germain cruised into the French Cup semifinals with a 4-0 win away to third-division Avranches. Having won the League Cup last weekend, beating Monaco 4-1, PSG remains on course to win the domestic treble for the third straight season. Earlier Wednesday, midfielder Cheikh N'Doye scored the winner midway through the second half as Angers beat Bordeaux 2-1. In the semifinals, PSG is at home to Monaco and 2014 winner Guingamp travels to Angers. — Agencies
