AC Milan needed a late goal from midfielder Mathieu Flamini to beat third-division club Novara 2-1 Wednesday and advance to the Italian Cup quarterfinals.
Filippo Inzaghi put Milan ahead in the 12th minute at the San Siro. Novara's Argentine forward, Pablo Andres Gonzalez, equalized in the 47th before Flamini scored the winner in the 81st with a shot from the edge of the area.
Milan fielded mostly reserves, with the likes of Ronaldinho, Andrea Pirlo and David Beckham not even included in the squad.
About 10,000 fans from Novara, a small city in the Piedmont region, made the trip to cheer on their club, while only 5,000 Milan fans showed up.
Milan will next face Udinese or third-division team Lumezzane, which play Thursday.
Later, Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara's job was on the line against Napoli. The winner will face Inter Milan, which advanced last month.
Gianvito Plasmati scored two early goals as Catania eliminated nine-man Genoa 2-1.
Plasmati scored in the fourth and seventh minutes. Genoa midfielder Marco Rossi sliced the lead in half in the 58th, but he and Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos were both sent off a minute later.
Papastathopoulos picked up his second yellow card and Rossi was given a direct red for protests.
Catania will next meet AS Roma, which beat Serie B side Triestina 3-1 Tuesday.
In Thursday's other games, it's Fiorentina vs. Chievo Verona and Lazio vs. Palermo.
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