ROME, May 3 - AS Roma came from behind to draw 1-1 with holders Inter Milan in the first leg of the Italian Cup final on Wednesday thanks to a goal by Brazilian Mancini.

Inter, who beat Roma 3-0 on aggregate in last season's final, looked on course for another comfortable win when they went ahead in the eighth minute through striker Julio Cruz.

But a strong second-half performance by the hosts was rewarded 10 minutes after the interval when winger Mancini swept in the equaliser at the end of a break down the right.

With away goals counting double, Inter take a slim advantage into the return leg at Milan's San Siro stadium on May 11.

"I think that was the right result. Roma are a good side and we never thought this would be an easy match," Inter coach Roberto Mancini said.

"It's hard to be at your best physically at this stage of the season. In the second half we got stretched a little - our strikers were too far up the pitch and we had too few players in the middle. We almost invited Roma to come at us."

Mancini, under pressure after a Champions League quarter-final exit and another season playing second-fiddle to Juventus and AC Milan in the Serie A title race, gambled by starting with under-fire striker Adriano.

The Brazil forward, with just four goals in 2006, repaid his faith by creating the opening goal in the eighth minute, jinking a neat through ball for strike partner Julio Cruz to break the offside trap and slide past Roma goalkeeper Doni.

TOTTI BACK

Roma's Italy striker Francesco Totti finally returned to the squad to end his 72-day exile from football following an ankle injury but spent the entire match on the bench.

In his absence, Roma took 30 minutes to find the rhythm needed to exert sustained pressure on Inter.

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