After eliminating Milan, the ‘Nerazzurri’ team will fight 13 years later to be European champions
MADRID, 16 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Inter Milan qualified this Tuesday to play the Champions League final thanks to its 1-0 win against AC Milan, in the second leg of a semifinal between neighbors and in which the 0-2 first leg was already It was decisive in favor of the ‘Nerazzurri’ team, which 13 years later will once again fight to be European champion.
The Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, but now with Inter playing at home, experienced another huge crowd in the stands for a second game that was more tense than last week’s game. If on that occasion the tremendous interista start had materialized in two targets, this time there was no reward for the brilliant exchange of blows.
In minute 5, Milan warned with a far left foot shot through Theo Hernández and that went over the crossbar. Then it was his teammate Brahim Díaz who executed a very focused low shot, on a very clear occasion, from a pass from Sandro Tonali from the left wing after having rushed the bottom line.
Inter responded immediately with a powerful shot from Nicolò Barella that was repelled by rival goalkeeper Mike Maignan, although the action was invalidated because Edin Dzeko was previously in an offside situation. There was then a small truce, broken in the 38th minute with an individual play by Rafael Leão on the left side of the area.
The lanky Portuguese striker, absent in the first leg, was the great hope of the ‘Rossonera’ squad to try the comeback. And without much prominence until this time close to halftime, his play could well have changed the course of the semifinal. After a caracoleo on the defense, culminated with a shot low and crossed, that grazed the post.
The next minute, Interista Hakan Çalhanoglu drew a free kick from the side and Dzeko combed the ball in a timely manner, forcing another great save from Maignan. The local team was stretched with this, which then created more danger with a very high left foot from Lautaro Martínez, who was already beginning to carburete.
LUKAKU EMERGES AND LAUTARO SENTENCES
However, the arrival of the break stopped short the enthusiasm of Lautaro and his teammates, who in the second half dedicated themselves to temporizing. The little bite of his opponents allowed him that luxury, according to the two goal advantage that the team coached by Simone Inzaghi had in his pocket from the first leg.
In the front rows, coach Stefano Pioli did not hit the key with his substitutions. The relays of Junior Messias and Brahim Díaz had no effect, so the leaden rhythm took over the match until Lautaro opened the scoring. Everything had started from a movement by Romelu Lukaku worthy of futsal.
Having left the field halfway through the second half together with Robin Gosens, the Belgian striker controlled a loose ball in the big area together with the German defender. After a couple of little steps, Lukaku assisted with a filtered pass to the ’10’ of Inter; The latter, on the left side of the small area, made an accurate shot with his left-footed boot.
He surpassed in such a way a Maignan resigned to the evidence, with a lot of work ahead. That goal anesthetized the game, with nothing relevant in the final stages, and certified the ‘Nerazzurri’ victory by 3-0 on aggregate in a tie that gave them the ticket to the final. And at that date in Istanbul, Inter will want to shine 13 years later.
Against the winner of the tie between Manchester City and Real Madrid, whose first leg ended with a 1-1 of many carats, the ‘Nerazzurri’ club will seek to win its fourth European title. Of course, in the chaotic capital of Turkey on its European side, the charismatic José Mourinho will no longer be there to embolden his people.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: INTER MILAN, 1 – AC MILAN, 0 (0-0, at halftime).
–LINEUPS:
INTER MILAN: Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella (Gagliardini, 85th min), Çalhanoglu, Mkhitaryan (Brozovic, 44th min), Dimarco (Gosens, 66th min); Lautaro (Correa, 85 mins) and Dzeko (Lukaku, 66 mins).
AC MILAN: Maignan; Calabria, Thiaw (Goal, 64 mins), Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Tone, Krunic, Brahim Diaz (Origi, min.76); Messiah (Saelemaekers, min.76), Leo and Giroud.
–GOL:
1-0, min.74: Lautaro.
–REFEREE: Clement Turpin (FRA). He yellow carded Barella (min.79) and Lautaro (min.82) at Inter Milan; and Thiaw (min.56), Tonali (min.79), Krunic (min.82) and Tomori (min.82) at AC Milan.
–STADIUM: Giuseppe Meazza, 75,567 spectators.