Inter approaches the final with two blows to its neighbor
Early goals from Dzeko and Mkhitaryan overwhelm Milan in the first leg
MADRID, 10 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Inter Milan defeated AC Milan 0-2 this Wednesday in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals, with two early goals from Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan that overwhelmed their rival, unable to respond with danger and doomed to a feat on the return to prevent his neighbors from stepping on the grand finale.
At the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, the ‘rossonero’ team was at home for an almost settled match after fifteen minutes. Inter’s brilliant start left their opponents speechless and also their fans, who had decked out each stand for a special ‘Derby della Madonnina’ because it was on a European stage.
In the 8th minute, following a corner kick, Dzeko opened the scoring by winning a struggle against Davide Calabria in the heart of the area. Without letting it dribble, the Bosnian striker hooked a mid-height volley with his left-footed boot that slipped into the goal of an undaunted Mike Maignan.
Milan’s French goalkeeper couldn’t do much to prevent the 2-0 deficit, just three minutes later, when Mkhitaryan found a gap between the central defenders and behind Sandro Tonali. Everything had arisen from an effective movement of drag executed by Lautaro Martínez in the uncheck of him, monopolizing the attention of the defenders.
Mkhitaryan took advantage of the scandal to receive a pass from Federico Dimarco from the left flank and plant himself in front of Maignan, beating him with a right hand while shooting to the opposite side. With that little trick, Inter had left their opponent very touched.
The income favorable to the visitors could have even been greater just after, if Hakan Çalhanoglu had not crashed a strong shot on the post. In that same play, thanks to a nice assist from Nicolò Barella, Mkhitaryan himself put Maignan in trouble, who repelled his low shot with a strange movement and from which he suffered.
PIOLI CANNOT FIND SOLUTIONS
Problems were accumulating for Stefano Pioli, who had already had to replace Ismael Bennacer due to injury. However, the goalkeeper recovered to continue cutting off chances from an Inter that dreamed of 0-3 in a penalty caused by Lautaro after half an hour, following a dribble over Simon Kjaer from a throw-in.
In an action without apparent danger, the Argentine striker turned quickly and misled the Danish defender, who chased him into the area until he started a struggle that the Spanish referee Jesús Gil Manzano declared the maximum penalty. However, the consultation with the VAR annulled such punishment, but not the scare of the local team.
To make matters worse, Pioli’s changes did not take effect, neither in the final stretch of the first half nor at the start of the second chapter. The absence of the Portuguese striker Rafael Leão, without recovering in time from his injury, was too empty to cover in an offensive line where Olivier Giroud alone could not cope.
The first great opportunity for danger on the Milan side came in the 63rd minute, thanks to a shot by Tonali that hit the post. His forehand from the front had been an oasis in the desert for a local team with no ideas, no plans, no way to sink their teeth into their city neighbors.
The tables will have to change a lot for the second leg on May 16 (9:00 p.m.) if the ‘Rossonero’ team intends to come back from a semifinal with a clear ‘Nerazzurri’ color. The prize, in case of doing so, would be to play a Champions League final several years later, putting an end to the drought of one of the giants of the ‘Old Continent’.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: AC MILAN, 0 – INTER MILAN, 2 (0-2, at halftime).
–LINE-UPS.
AC MILAN: Maignan; Calabria (Calcutta, 82 mins), Kjaer (Thiaw, 59 mins), Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Krunic, Tone; Saelemaekers (Origi, 59 minutes), Bennacer (Messiah, 18 minutes), Brahim Diaz (Pobega, 82 minutes); and Giroud.
INTER MILAN: Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Mkhitaryan (Brozovic, min.62), Çalhanoglu (Gagliardini, min.78), Barella, Dimarco (De Vrij, min.70); Lautaro Martínez (Correa, min.78) and Dzeko (Lukaku, min.70).
–GOALS.
0-1, min.8: Dzeko.
0-2, min.11: Mkhitaryan.
–REFEREE: Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP). He yellow carded Krunic (min.45 + 1) and Tomori (min.64) at AC Milan; and to Mkhitaryan (min.45+1) at Inter Milan.
–STADIUM: Giuseppe Meazza, 75,532 spectators.