Inter win Milan derby to reach Champions League final
Inter Milan reached their first Champions League final in more than a decade with a 1-0 victory against city rival AC Milan on Tuesday.
Inter had a 2-0 lead from the first leg of the semifinal and Lautaro Martinez’s 74th-minute goal ended any hopes for Milan to stage a comeback.
Several players from both teams fell to the ground in tears at the final whistle as the Nerazzurri won the so-called “Euroderby” 3-0 on aggregate to progress to their first final since they won the league, Italian Cup and Champions League under Jose Mourinho in 2010.
Inter players and staff celebrated for long aterwards with their fans, singing and dancing in front of the Curva Nord packed full of Nerazzurri supporters in an electric atmosphere at San Siro - the stadium that both teams share.
“It’s obviously a great emotion, a dream that I had together with the guys, that we nurtured right from when the draw was made,” Inter
Inter had a 2-0 lead from the first leg of the semi-final and Lautaro Martinez’s 74th-minute goal ended any hopes for Milan to stage a comeback
coach Stefano Inzaghi said. “We had to believe in ourselves and we have got here by merit, no one has gited us anything.
“We had a long road, with difficulties but I think we earned it. I think probably from tomorrow we’ll realize more what we have done. But it’s a wonderful night with the fans, with our family, you can’t ask for anything more.”
“Whoever we end up with, we will be unlucky, because they are two really great teams with incredible quality,” Inzaghi said with a wry smile. “I will watch tomorrow’s match, like I watched the first leg. … Obviously we will follow it closely.”
For Milan, the lengthy wait goes on. It last reached the showpiece event in 2007, when they won the last of their seven titles.
“At the moment there’s only disappointment, there’s only disappointment because we could have been in a Champions League final,” Milan coach Stefano Pioli said. “But if we think that last year we went out in the group stage and this year we managed to reach the semi-finals we can and should be proud.
“But it’s clear we dreamt of reaching the final, we wanted the final, we wanted to beat our rivals.”
Milan was able to welcome back Rafael Leao. He missed last week’s loss with a thigh injury and the Rossoneri were hoping his comeback would inspire the team to do the same.
The difference was immediately apparent as Milan played with an intensity they sorely lacked in the first leg amid a frantic start from both teams.
Brahim Diaz saw a weak shot comfortably smothered by Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana early on before Leao almost got Milan back into it with his first real sight of goal, shortly before haltime. The winger sprinted into the let of the area but his angled drive grazed the outside of the far post.
Inter also had their chances to score the goal that would have all but killed the tie off as Henrikh Mkhitaryan fired over the bar, while Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan pulled off a brilliant reaction save to keep out an Edin Dzeko header from close range.
Inter sealed their place in the final when Martinez made his way into let side of the area and exchanged passes with Romelu Lukaku - who had come on for Dzeko less than 10 minutes earlier - before firing in at the near post.
It was that same formidable atacking partnership that fired Inter to the Serie A title two years ago, earning the duo the nickname “Lula.”
“The biggest regret is the first 10 minutes of the first leg when we conceded two goals in three, four minutes,” Pioli said.
“And also not scoring tonight when we had the chances…thatwouldhavegivenustheenthusiasm, the energy, the extra confidence that could have helped us open up the match.”