Madrid-Inter, a 'vintage' duel

Madrid-Inter, it sounds and smells like football from before, always. To squads in which foreigners were the exception and not the norm, to cardiac comebacks after beatings in the city of the catwalk, to fences of Sovereign in Chamartín. A rivalry vintage and mythical, recurrent to the extreme in the 20th century and abandoned in recent decades. Up to 15 times Madrid and Inter have met, the same as with Milan and only behind Juventus (21) and Bayern (26). Such is the level that Inter can say that they deprived Madrid of a European Cup in the final.

It was in May 1964, in the old Prater in Vienna. The Madrid of the five Cups in a row between 1956 and 1960 sought to regain the throne, but stayed at the gates (3-1) before the might of the Mazzola, Luis Suárez, Jair or Fachetti, trained by Helenio Herrera. Only Inter, Benfica and Liverpool have beaten Madrid in a final of their competition. That was Di Stéfano's last match with the white; his discrepancies with Muñoz and Bernabéu led to his departure to Espanyol, which accelerated the Madrid renewal. Revenge did not wait: two seasons later, Madrid won the semifinals (1-0 and 1-1) to later lift the Sixth in Heysel before the Partizan.

The general balance shows equality: six victories for Madrid, seven for Inter and two draws. But the whites emerged victorious in five ties (remember the two consecutive comebacks in the UEFA semi-finals, see below), by only two of the Italians; pound for pound, Madrid was better.

A high-voltage duel that the 21st century still does not know: the last time they met was in the group stage of the 1998-99 Champions League, with Madrid as the brand new champion after having beaten Juventus, the eternal Interista rival, in the 1998 final in Amsterdam. The first leg was white, 2-0; the turn neroazzurra, 3-1, with a show from a veteran Roberto Baggio.

The miracle of Molowny

1984-85 UEFA Cup semifinals (2-0 in Milan and 3-0 in Madrid). The defeat in Milan by 2-0 was the least; then there was a night out by the team, with female visits to the hotel included (this was published), and open files to Juanito and Lozano. The dressing room was a powder keg against Amancio, who also had poor results, which caused that six days after the debacle in San SiroLuis de Carlos stopped the coach and gave command to Molowny, who was in charge of the white bench for the fourth and last time in his life. With several card changes, Madrid came back with a double from Santillana (the 2-0 header, a delight) and a right hand from Míchel. He would beat the Hungarian Videoton in the final.

'Nightmare' Santillana

Semifinals UEFA Cup 1985-86 (3-1 in Milan and 5-1 in Madrid). Just a year later, a new match in the UEFA Cup semifinals and a new white empanada at San Siro, where the failures of Ochotorena and Salguero condemned the final 3-1. The team had taken another step in its conversion from that Madrid de los Garcías to that of the Quinta del Buitre, whose members were decisive: two penalties caused by Míchel and Butragueño and scored by Hugo Sánchez allowed to reach extra time. There, Santillana rose like Inter's nightmare: another two goals, like the previous year. He made six in as many games against the Italians. In the final, Real Madrid revalidated the title against the German Cologne.