Inter Milan seal spot in Champions League final
Inter Milan reached their first Champions League (CL) final in more than a decade with a 1-0 victory against city rivals AC Milan yesterday.
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 socalled “Euroderby” 3-0 on aggregate to progress to their first final since they won the league, Italian Cup and Champions League under José Mourinho in 2010.
“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 coach Stefano Inzaghi said.
Inter will face either 14-time champions Real Madrid or another juggernaut in Manchester City on June 10 in Istanbul. The second leg of the other semifinal is on today with the scoreline locked at 1-1.
For Milan, the lengthy wait goes on. They last reached the showpiece event in 2007, when they won the last of their seven titles.
Milan were able to welcome back Rafael Leão. 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 Díaz saw a weak shot comfortably smothered by Inter goalkeeper André Onana early on before Leão almost got Milan back into it with his first real sight of goal, shortly before halftime. The winger sprinted into the left of the area but his angled drive grazed the outside of the far post.
Inter also had 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 Džeko header from close range.
Inter sealed their place in the final when Martínez made his way into left side of the area and exchanged passes with Romelu Lukaku – who had come on for Džeko less than 10 minutes earlier – before firing in at the near post.