Inter on Wednesday overpowered AC Milan early and held on to win the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final 2-0, leaving the Nerazzurri on the brink of a return to the final of European soccer’s showpiece event for the first time since 2010.
Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored two goals in three minutes to put Inter firmly in command and the visitors could have added more in a dominant first-half performance.
“We had an extraordinary first half, the scoreline was tighter than it should have been, with what we created,” Inter manager Simone Inzaghi said. “The guys were really great in managing such an emotional match.”
Photo: AFP
“We have to continue like this. We know that we’re just one step away from a dream that we believed in from August until today,” Inzaghi said.
The second leg is scheduled for Tuesday next week in what will surely be another special European night at the San Siro.
The winners face either Real Madrid or Manchester City, who drew their first leg 1-1.
Photo: AFP
“I know my team, I know my players, I know we can do better. I know Inter is a very strong team, but we’re not any less,” Milan manager Stefano Pioli said. “It will be a difficult night mentally for both teams, the last chance to get into the final.”
“We have the chance to put them in difficulty, to score goals, to try to get this back on track... We have to give everything we have — talent and heart — to turn around a situation that has become difficult, but not impossible,” Pioli said.
Milan were missing key forward Rafael Leao, who had not fully recovered from a thigh injury sustained over the weekend.
Photo: EPA-EFE
There was an electric atmosphere at the San Siro for the semi-final that had been dubbed the “Euroderby” in Italy.
The two clubs met in the Champions League last four 20 years ago — with Milan winning on away goals and going on to beat Juventus in the final for their sixth of seven titles.
Several members of those teams from 2003 were in the stands, along with Novak Djokovic, who is a Milan fan.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The match was expected to be cagey and tight, but Inter got off to the perfect start as they took the lead in the eighth minute.
Hakan Calhanoglu whipped in a corner from the left and Dzeko got in front of Milan defender Davide Calabria to hook a volley into the top-right corner.
Inter doubled their lead just three minutes later.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Federico Dimarco’s low pass was wisely left by Lautaro Martinez for Mkhitaryan to lift over Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Milan had only conceded one goal in their past six Champions League matches.
Incredibly, Inter almost scored a third five minutes later, but Calhanoglu’s long-range effort came off the right post.
The Milan players were shellshocked, but they composed themselves and had their first attempt on goal on the half-hour mark, with Calabria hitting the side netting.
Seconds later, Inter were awarded a penalty for a foul by Simon Kjar on Martinez, but the referee revoked his decision after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Milan improved after the break and were shooting toward the end packed with their fans, in a sea of red and black.
Brahim Diaz curled wide of the left post early on, but Inter were almost out of sight moments later.
No one closed down Alessandro Bastoni and he threaded the ball through to Dzeko, but Maignan parried the shot with his foot.
The Rossoneri should have pulled one back in the 63rd minute, but Sandro Tonali’s effort came off the base of the left post.
In the previous round, Inter beat SL Benfica 2-0 in Portugal before playing out a 3-3 draw at the San Siro.
“This is obviously a derby, so it’s even more emotional,” Inzaghi said. “The lads know that we have to do exactly what we did against Benfica: Not thinking about managing the match, but playing our own game, with the quality that we have shown on the field.”
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
RSS