So far tonight's live, thank you very much for joining us and until next time!
Inter will face Shakhtar or Basel in the semifinal to be played on Monday 17! Bayer say goodbye to a bittersweet season after tonight's defeat in Düsseldorf.
Inter secured their place in the semi-finals of European competition for the first time since the 2009/10 season, when they lifted the Champions League trophy at the Santiago Bernabéu with José Mourinho. The goals scored in the first half were enough for Conte's men to seal their pass. This second half has had a clear Nerazzurri tonic, the Italians have enjoyed clear opportunities to bore and to sentence the tie (up to 12 shots, more than the total of the Germans in the entire match, 9), but they ran into a giant Hradecky. They also had another penalty revoked by a hand from Barella in the area after Eriksen's fall. Bayer, who were losing by the minimum, have not generated much danger and although there has been some isolated action, they have not created enough in the opposite area to force extra time or even win.
END THE MATCH! Inter qualify for the semi-finals of the Europa League!
Yellow for Nicolò Barella.
Lukaku scores Inter's third but the chance is invalidated by a struggle between the Belgian and Tapsoba on the left wing. The Inter footballer left without complications and finished at will.
Bailey center that Handanovic catches. Bayer is now encouraged in the final minutes of the game looking for the goal that sends them to extra time.
Added 6 minutes in Düsseldorf.
INVALIDATED! Del Cerro Grande goes back to the monitor to review the penalty and does not grant it. There is Barella's hand in the takedown of Erisken.
A possible hand in the action prior to the penalty is being reviewed with the VAR. Lukaku, as happened in the first half, prepares from eleven meters.
PENALTY IN FAVOR OF INTER! Bellarabi knocks down Eriksen in the small area and Del Cerro Grande does not hesitate. Chance for Inter to finish off the eliminatioria.
Many interruptions in these last minutes in Düsseldorf and it seems that Alexis Sánchez has hurt himself in a play with Tah. He leaves, for the moment, touching his thigh. It seems that he has physical complaints.
Yellow for Tapsoba for a clear stomp on Lukaku.
Yellow for Eriksen after unbalancing Havertz with a tackle from behind.
Another change for the Germans, Volland leaves and Nicolás Alario enters.
Changes also in Bayer, Lars Bender leaves and Karim Bellarabi enters.
Substitution at Inter, Alessandro Bastoni leaves and Milan Škriniar enters the pitch.
FOR LITTLE LUKAKU! Ball into space that starts the career of the Belgian striker, Tapsoba loses him, but recoils when the Inter player fires the shot.
Good defensive action by Alexis Sánchez, denying Jonathan Tah and forcing the Bayer player to foul.
Del Cerro Grande shows the yellow to Conte after his protests.
THE ONE THAT THE BAYER HAS HAD! Fantastic action that starts from a Bailey cross from the left wing, but neither Havertz nor Volland get to the ball. Little by little the Bosz boys approaching when we enter the last ten minutes of the meeting.
Before Moses' action, the Nerazzurri had a double chance at the hands of Brozovic.
Hradecky denies Moses after his shot! Good individual action from the former Chelsea, wall with Eriksen, enters the area from the right wing, cuts and arms the shot. Inter arriving regularly, but without the precision it had in the first half. Very attentive Hradecky, saving his team once again-
Barella falls after a collision with Jonathan Tah and in the fall he knocks down Lars Bender with a stomp, who hurts himself and remains lying on the ground.
Inter do not have much margin in the result, but it is being the one that dominates in this second half both in play and at times. Do not discount Bayer, who have enough quality in their boots to give the Nerazzurri a scare.
Baumgartlinger also leaves and Bosz admits Nadiem Amiri.
Bosz makes more changes, Sinkgraven leaves and Wendell enters.
Alexis Sánchez has had twice as soon as he entered the field of play. Two consecutive plays by Inter that the Chilean failed to finish, the first being a great one for Hradecky and the second being lost in the defense of the Germans. Good combination with Eriksen on both plays.
Third change in the ranks of Inter, forward for forward. Lautaro leaves and Alexis Sánchez enters the field of play.
Good action now from Inter and a great contribution from Eriksen, who drives the ball through the midfield, enables Lautaro on the right, but the Argentine finishes with poor quality and the ball is lost on the side of the goal.
Fantastic left-footed shot by Demirbay from outside the area that Handanovic blocks! Corner for Bayer.
Gagliardini also leaves and Conte brings in the Danish Christian Eriksen
Double change at Inter, Danilo D'Ambrosio leaves for Victor Moses
Bosz moves the bench, the missing Exequiel Alejandro leaves and Leon Bailey enters.
Combination between Diaby and Demirbay that ends with a dead ball in the area that no Leverkusen player manages to finish off. Clear the defense of Inter and get rid of danger.
Good counterattack from Inter that does not end well Lukaku. Lautaro sprints down the left wing, changes orientation looking for Lukaku, but the Belgian fails to dribble to the defense and loses the ball. Conte's having plenty of chances, but not finishing any.
Another move from Inter, once again Gagliardini who finds the ball in the area, although the action ends in a corner kick. The Nerazzurri harassing the Germans.
HRADECKY BRAKES INTER! The Italians take the free-kick quickly, they catch Bosz's defense off guard and Lautaro looks for Lukaku with a cross to the small area that the Bayer goalkeeper has to clear.
Good opportunity now for Bayer, although Diaby's completion is not of quality. Wall in front of the area between him and Havertz, he doesn't dare to shoot, and when he sees the shot he runs out of angle.
THE ONE THAT INTER'S FAILED! Lukaku tried the shot, the ball ran into the German defense and Gagliardini failed the rebound only against Hradecky.
Lukaku's drive is too long, but once again the Belgian only reached the small area and put Hradecky on alert.
Yellow card for Lars BenderYellow card for Lars Bender after a foul on Gagliardini.
Diaby was trying again from the left wing. This time the center does not find a finisher, but repeated and very recurring action by Leverkusen. Downtown Diaby looking for Havertz or Volland.
The second half starts at the Merkur Spiel-Arena!
The party is open. Inter and Leverkusen have shown that they need little to hurt each other. With Lukaku and Lautaro the German defense suffers, and with Havertz, Volland and Diaby Leverkusen is finding space to make a dent in the scoreboard.
Lukaku is leaving ashes where he steps. With his goal, there are now nine consecutive games in which he has scored in the Europa League and thus becomes the first player to achieve that mark in the competition (Europa League and UEFA Cup). The Belgian has scored 31 goals this season in all competitions.
It seemed that the game did not finish starting in the first quarter of an hour, but a goal from Barella blew up the game … and boy did it. Inter again demonstrated their precision in front of goal: the first clear chance for the Italians, the first goal of the match. After Barella's goal, the Nerazzurri began to dominate the game and arrive regularly and dangerously at Hradecky's goal. Lukaku would put the second on the scoreboard after a good action between the striker and Young. When it seemed that Inter were deciding the tie towards their side, Havertz put the Germans in the game after a good deficion. Minutes later, Del Cerro Grande went to the VAR to cancel a penalty that he had previously indicated in favor of Inter for an alleged hand from Sinkgraven.
REST IN DÜSSELDORF! Everything to be decided at the Merkur Spiel-Arena.
Demibay's shot from outside the area that rejects the Inter defense. Corner in favor of Leverkusen when the minute added in this first half is confirmed.
Second yellow card of the match for Sinkgraven for a foul on Barella. It took him a long time to get it out of Cerro Grande and Conte and the Inter players soon asked for the warning.
Dangerous play by Lautaro, who went for everything with his leg while Jonathan Tah tried to finish off with his head.
Good wall now between Lukaku and Lautaro that makes Leverkusen tremble. The Bayer defense is attentive, clears and there will be a corner for Conte's men.
Diaby creating a lot of trouble for the Nerazzurri defense, another center from the left looking for Volland. Handanovic cleared.
Now the game is stopped after a few minutes of constant actions. The meeting is open. The Leverkusen now showing that it can also do a lot of damage with little.
Chance now for Leverkusen! Volland missed the shot after a good cross from Diaby. Corner for the Germans.
Demirbay bounces the free-kick from the left wing, Jonathan Tah came to the finish, but he is foul.
D'Ambrosio knocks Diaby down and receives the first yellow card of the match. Dangerous set piece chance for the Germans.
The Leverkusen defense is going to have nightmares tonight with Lukaku, the Belgian striker is on all sides and putting Bosz's men in trouble every time he touches the ball.
We recover oxygen after a few crazy minutes of the game. After Inter's second goal, the match was broken, Leverkusen closed the gap with a good definition from Havertz and minutes later there was almost a maximum penalty in favor of the Nerazzuri.
NO PENALTY! Del Cerro Grande corrects the action and there will be no penalty in favor of Inter. The ball seemed to carry more shoulder than hand in the repetitions.
Del Cerro Grande approaches the monitor to review the action.
PENALTY IN FAVOR OF INTER! Although Lukaku has already positioned himself to shoot it, the VAR is reviewing Sinkgraven's possible hand.
Kevin Volland assist
IT IS VALID! GOAL FROM HAVERTZ! GOAL FROM LEVERKUSEN! A wall inside the area between Volland and Havertz manages to put excitement to the tie. Godín chased after Volland and this allowed Havertz to find the space.
Havertz scores but they are checking the goal with the VAR.
Lukaku making the mess again. He was left alone before Hradecky, but the Leverkusen goalkeeper managed to block the shot. The party goes crazy.
Ashley Young support
GOOOOOOL FROM LUKAKU! ANOTHER GOAL FROM INTER! So much so that it replicates, in a way, the first goal of the Italians. Young enables Lukaku from the left and the Belgian striker receives his back from the small area, turns and shoots as he falls to the ground. Ninth consecutive game scoring in the Europa League and both number 31 of the season.
THE ONE THAT FAILED BARELLA! Great play by Lautaro, who sets up the pass backwards finding Barella, who misses a shot that could have been Inter's second goal.
Once again, Inter demonstrating, as it did against Getafe, the individual quality of its players and their precision. First clear chance for the Italians, first goal for Conte's. Although the Nerazzurri do not get too close to the opponent's goal, whenever they arrive they do so with danger.
Action that comes from a back heel pass from Lautaro towards Young, which enables Lukaku in the small area. The Belgian scrambled, tied the ball and tried the shot, but the Leverkusen defense rejected the shot and Barella took the ball to advance with a fantastic shot from the outside to the Nerazzurri.
INTER GOOOOOL! GOOOOOOL OF BARELLA WITH THE OUTSIDE!
Leverkusen's chance attempt. Volland ran out of angle, but Havertz enabled him from the edge of the area.
So far, we have not seen clear chances and neither team manages to overshadow the other.
The Italian media spoke of the importance of Lars Bender in this Bayer to cover Lautaro. The Leverkusen player has averaged 3.6 tackles per game in this competition (a total of 11).
Now an opportunity for Inter who cannot finish Lukaku, D'Ambrosio arrived on the right wing, he centers the small area, although not with the necessary precision for the Belgian to finish off.
So far, no team has come out biting. Lots of pause and caution, both sets avoiding error.
Leverkusen's first long possession in these early stages of the game.
THE DÜSSELDORF STARTS THE MATCH!
There is a last minute change in the Leverkusen lineup, Sven Bender leaves and Jonathan Tah enters.
The referee of the meeting is the Spanish Del Cerro Grande.
The 22 protagonists jump onto the pitch! The Europa League anthem sounds at the Merkur Spiel-Arena.
Of all the teams classified for the Europa League quarter-finals, Inter has the duo that has scored the most goals: 49 (Romelu Lukaku with 30 and Lautaro Martínez with 19); 20 more than the best duo of Leverkusen with 29 (Kai Havertz with 17 and Alario / Volland with 12 between them).
And as a final fact before the match begins: this is the third time that both clubs meet in European competition (the last time was in the second group stage of the 2002/03 Champions League, where the Nerazzurri won both matches , 3-2 at home and 2-0 on the road).
There is no doubt that the flashes will follow two of the most coveted players on the market today: Lautaro Martínez and Kai Havertz. Both have no shortage of offers to change course should they wish, but for now, both will want to give a buzz in Düsseldorf and help their respective teams reach that coveted semi-final.
And those of Leverkusen: Jonathan Tha, Aleksandar Dragovic, Leon Bailey, Nadiem Amiri, Lucas Alario, Wendell, Weiser, Wirtz, Ö then, Niklas Lomb and Karim Bellarabi.
Inter's options on the bench: Alexis Sánchez, Victor Moses, Stefano Sensi, Ranocchia, Borja Valero, Christian Eriksen, Padelli, Sebastiano Esposito, Lucien Agoume, Biraghi, Skriniar and Antonio Candreva.
Bosz bets on the 4-2-3-1 that we already saw against Rangers, although he makes a couple of changes: Hradecky in goal; defense for Lars and Sven Bender, Tapsoba and Sinkgraven; double pivot with Exequiel Palacios and Baumgartlinger (who enters the position of the sanctioned Aránguiz); followed by Diaby, Demirbay and Havertz, and Volland as an offensive reference. In addition to the change forced by penalty, Bosz introduces Demirbay in place of Florian Wirtz.
Conte repeats the 3-5-2 he served against Getafe and Atalanta: Handanovic in goal, defense for Godín, from Vrij, Bastoni; midfield with D'Ambrosio, Gagliardini, Brozovic, Barella and Ashley Young; and Lu-La en punta, Lukaku and Lautaro.
We already have confirmed lineups from both teams!
Bayer has a very sensitive loss, that of Chilean Charles Aránguiz, sanctioned for accumulating cards. However, Bosz recovers Weiser and Demirbay regarding the Rangers game.
These will be the first European quarter-finals for the Germans since the UEFA Cup in 2007/08, and if they win, they would reach their first semi-finals since 1994/95 in that competition, although they would also do so in 2002 in the Champions League. League (where they would play the final against Real Madrid in Scotland).
Perhaps they have the advantage of playing in their native country and with the precedent that last season Inter were eliminated from the competition by a German team (Eintracht Frankfurt). Another added bonus is that the Nerazzurri have only won one of their last eight meetings against German teams in European competitions (one draw and six losses), although Leverkusen have lost the last three matches against Italian teams.
For their part, Bayer wants to hold on to the Europa League at all costs. After a bittersweet domestic competition final in which Bosz's club fell within two points of the Champions League (they finished fifth, securing a place for the Europa League), and a DFB Pokal final in which they failed to defeat Bayern from Munich, the Germans have their hopes pinned on the continental tournament.
This week the Italian club confirmed that Alexis Sánchez was staying at the club after his assignment, and although the Chilean played a few minutes against Getafe, tonight he could reach his first semifinals since he did it with Barcelona in the Champions League of the season 2012/13.
In Italy they see the Nerazzurri feat as ‘Europossibile’, since Inter has touched the table of the competition that may benefit them the most, avoiding the clash against Manchester United and Seville.
In addition, after his goal against Getafe, the Belgian forward scored in his eighth consecutive game in the Europa League (11 goals in total), a streak he has achieved between the 2014/15 season with Everton and this one. He is the second player to score in eight consecutive games after Alan Shearer in 2004/05. No footballer has managed to reach the nine-game mark by scoring, will Lukaku break the record tonight in Düsseldorf?
Although they did not leave the best feelings for the game, Inter is still a clear danger: they have accumulated 9 games without seeing defeat, the last four being consecutive victories, and they have kept a clean sheet in their last five games in all competitions. They also have the always dangerous Lukaku, who reached 30 goals against the azulones. It is the first time that an Inter striker has managed to reach thirty goals in a season after Samuel Eto'o in 2010/11 (37).
Conte's men did not play an excellent game against Getafe, but they did show the quality in their ranks, which was what ended up deciding the match in favor of the Italians. After beating the azulones, the Nerazzurri made sure to play a quarter-final in European competition for the first time since the 2010/11 season (this time in the Champions League). If they beat Peter Bosz's men tonight, Inter would play a continental semi-final for the first time since 2010 in the Champions League, a trophy that they would end up lifting at the Santiago Bernabéu against Bayern Munich.
Although Conte showed his disagreement with the board at a press conference and momentarily revolutionized the rotaries, calm seems to have returned to the club, if only for now. Despite the fact that the Italian coach denounced the lack of support for the team, the Nerazzurri club's season has been characterized by progressive growth that could well culminate in lifting the Europa League trophy this month in Germany.
Inter stayed very close to Juventus in Serie A (one point, to be more exact) after the bianconeri slump and the last push from Conte's in the final days (their best position in the table since 2010 / 11, when they were also seconds). In the Cup they were eliminated by Napoli, who would end up being the winner of the trophy and in Europe they are still alive and wanting to close the season with an extra seasoning beyond the statistics.
Düsseldorf and the Merkur Spiel-Arena dress up to host the Nerazzurri and Die Werkself in a match that will define who of both clubs will advance to the semifinal against Shakhtar Donetsk or Basel (to be played on the 16th and 17th of this month). Both Inter and Bayer have one last bullet to get closer to the only title they can aspire to this season.
Good evening and welcome to the live of these quarterfinals of the Europa League that will face Inter Milan and Bayer Leverkusen!