Alessandro Del Piero's hat-trick thrashed Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia and made him the most prolific Juventus player of all time.

A place in the quarter-finals was open to either side following the eventful 2-2 draw at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, a game that was marred by crowd trouble that saw play halted for almost an hour when tear gas was deployed.

Fiorentina gave teenager Davide Brivio his debut in midfield, while Juventus brought back Gianluigi Buffon after a toe injury further delayed his return to regular first team football.

Sebastien Frey was tested twice early on by Pavel Nedved and Adrian Mutu, while at the other end Giampaolo Pazzini’s snapshot skimmed the upright.

However, it was Del Piero who opened the scoring with an historic goal. The captain spun round between three defenders and swept in the finish for his 183rd official strike in a Juventus jersey. He is now the most prolific player in this club’s history, leaving behind Giampiero Boniperti’s record.

Del Piero further enhanced that tally six minutes later, as he curled a perfect free kick over the defensive wall and past a totally static Frey.

Although he didn’t actually score the third, Del Piero created it for Mutu. He combined with Nedved and his strike was parried into the path of the Romanian for a simple tap-in.

Frey kept the scoreline down with a save on Marcelo Zalayeta, but the Viola were dominated in every area of the field and toothless in attack without Luca Toni. Coach Cesare Prandelli introduced the hitman for the second half in place of Pazzini.

But the Bianconeri continued to create chances and Del Piero’s hat-trick was denied by a fantastic Frey reaction save from six yards, then soon after the Frenchman repeated the trick on his header.

The referee pointed to the spot after Alessandro Gamberini’s slight nudge on Zalayeta and Del Piero stepped up to convert the soft penalty and make this already historic evening even more special.

Fiorentina scored a consolation goal from a set-piece, as Valeri Bojinov timed his header perfectly to nod Manuel Pasqual’s free kick past Buffon. The Bulgarian striker had also netted in the first leg.

The visitors were livelier in the second half, as the introduction of Toni, Manuel Pasqual and Riccardo Montolivo brought them closer to their classic line-up. Nonetheless, the tension was high and Toni was fortunate to escape a red card for a dangerous tackle on Patrick Vieira. Frey rushed off his line to close down Zalayeta and prevent a fifth Bianconeri goal.

Juventus await the result of the Roma-Napoli tie to discover who they will be facing in the quarter-finals.

Inter patron Massimo Moratti confesses his regrets about 11 years of leading his beloved club through thick and thin.

“Do I regret any of my decisions at Inter? Perhaps the first I ever made – taking charge of the club in the first place!” he joked. “All the others followed on from that.”

Oil baron Moratti’s father took this side to the European Cup in the 1960s, but since he has been at the helm they have spent over £100m and won just one UEFA Cup, a Coppa Italia and an Italian Super Cup.

“I have to say that sometimes you realise after a while that you have made a mistake, but if you make those decisions at the time then it’s because circumstances have put you in that position,” he told Antenna 3 television.

Moratti’s popularity has wavered over the years and he eventually gave up the Presidency to former Nerazzurri legend Giacinto Facchetti.

“I don’t regret this experience, as it’s nice to have such responsibility in your life and it was certainly a pleasure in that respect. However, as the results weren’t great, I don’t know if this brought pleasure to others. Once you divorce, you start to wonder if it was better never to get married at all.”

The patron still holds the purse strings at the San Siro and confirmed reports Inter were looking to offer Francesco Toldo to Fiorentina in exchange for the loan of Valeri Bojinov.

“It’s a transfer that makes sense, as they need a goalkeeper and we are missing a striker,” he added.

sore loser.

http://www.uploading.com/?get=NGRO3O94

Highlights of Alex's record breaking hattrick...

Juventus-Reggina about to start...

All eyes on Del Piero in Turin, one banner reading: 'Del Piero, l'imperatore in bianco e nero' (Del Piero, the black-and-white emperor).

and alex can't stop scoring

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