Stankovic shows his worth to Lazio
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Cup hero Stankovic could be on his way to Inter
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ROME, Italy -- Dejan Stankovic fired Lazio into the Italian Cup semifinals on the day his club president prepared to sell him to Inter Milan.
The 25-year-old Serbia/Montenegro marksman struck after 71 minutes with a cool finish as Lazio drew 1-1 to complete a 3-1 aggregate win over financial strugglers Parma
Australian midfielder Mark Bresciano levelled the scores for the home side with a vicious drive after 81 minutes but it was too little, too late.
Lazio, whose own money problems were eased last week when shareholders backed a plan to raise 120 million euros ($151m) to save the club from bankruptcy, meet the winners of Thursday's tie between holders AC Milan and Roma.
Stankovic's future at the club has been in doubt since talks over a new contract broke down.
His current deal expires in June and the cash-strapped Serie A club would rather sell now than lose one of its top players for nothing at the end of the season.
"It (the transfer) is not far off," president Ugo Longo was quoted as saying on La Gazzetta dello Sport's website.
"I met (Inter president Giacinto) Facchetti this morning and we're moving in the right direction.
"There are still a few details to be sorted out. Let's see what happens in the next few days."
Whether the cup run makes a difference remains to be seen although Parma could have halved Lazio's advantage in the sixth minute when Matteo Ferrari's point-blank header was clawed away Matteo Sereni.
Parma, whose own future still remains in doubt following the spectacular collapse of parent company Parmalat, had another chance on the half hour.
Brazilian wing-back Junior raced to the by-line and played the ball across goal to give compatriot Adriano an easy chance, but he side-footed wide.
Parma were denied a clear-cut penalty in the 66th minute when Adriano, preparing to shoot for goal from inside the 18-yard box, had his shirt tugged by Sinisa Mihajlovic. Both referee and linesman missed the incident.
Lazio then rubbed salt into Parma's wounds by taking the lead five minutes later.
Claudio Lopez led a swift counter-attack and fed Stankovic, who had pulled off to his left, and the Serbian midfielder tucked home from an acute angle.
With the contest effectively over, Lazio took their foot off the pedal and were duly punished nine minutes from time when Bresciano fired in from 20 meters.
On Wednesday, Italian champions Juventus face Perugia at the Delle Alpi stadium protecting a 2-1 lead, while Inter Milan host Udinese with the tie finely balanced after last week's 0-0 draw.
