With a 3-3 draw with Benfica on Wednesday, Inter Milan advanced 5-3 on aggregate to set up a thrilling clash in the Champions League semifinals.
With goals from Nicolo Barella, Lautaro Martinez, and Joaquin Correa, Simone Inzaghi’s team qualified easily and will meet regional rivals AC Milan in the semifinals.
When Inter last claimed victory in the continent’s premier club championship in 2010, both Milan juggernauts are vying to become the first Serie A team to do so.
“Everyone at the club had a tremendous night, and we deserved to win over the course of the two legs, “”Inzaghi” remarked.
The players were outstanding in the two games. Being able to go to the semifinals is a goal of mine, so now that we’re here, we want to attempt to do it all.”
Inter entered the game on Wednesday on a terrible run of form, with their lone victory in their previous eight contests coming in last week’s first leg in Portugal.
As the Italian champions defeated Napoli on Tuesday night, the victory set up two tantalizing matchups with Milan for the next month.
Also, it ended Inter’s three-match home losing skid during which they were without a goal and extended their successful season in cup competitions despite their unsuccessful league campaign.
With their goals, Martinez and Correa not only put an end to troubling goal droughts, but also ensured that goals from Fredrik Aursnes, Antonio Silva, and Petar Musa for the opposition had little bearing on the result of the match.
We are really pleased and honored to represent the badge and this fantastic club, “Martinez remarked.
“We were aware that this meant participating in a derby in the Champions League semifinals if we advanced. My goal in playing this sport is to win it all, so I’m thrilled to be in the semifinals. This club deserves to be there.”
While Inter had already long since ensured that they would be battling Milan for a spot in the June 10 final in Istanbul, Silva and Musa scored late goals for Roger Schmidt’s club.
– FLARES THROWN –
If there were any pre-game jitters among the sold-out San Siro crowd, they were quickly allayed as Inter played from the start like the squad that advanced to two cup semifinals rather than the one that has suffered 11 Serie A defeats.
As early as the sixth minute, they should have taken the lead when Lautaro squandered a wonderful counterattack by sending a shoddy ball to Federico Dimarco who was racing into the box.
But, Martinez made amends for the first goal by seizing the ball when Edin Dzeko engaged the Benfica defense and passing to Barella, who sent a left-footed curler into the top left corner.
The Norwegian midfielder was left all alone and was able to force a header past Andre Onana seven minutes before halftime thanks to a defensive blunder by Aursnes.
Before to the game, Inzaghi promised that Inter would not only play defense as Benfica pressed for an improbable advancement to the next round.
Martinez made sure Inter would advance in the 68th minute as Benfica fans started hurling flares at home supporters from the exclusive away stand.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan deftly found Dimarco, who sent in a zinger of a cross for Martinez to effortlessly guide in for his first goal since early March.
With 12 minutes left, Correa brushed past Nicolas Otamendi and curled in his first goal since early October, capping off a wonderful evening for Inter supporters.
With four minutes left, Silva headed in Alejandro Grimaldo’s cross, but the home crowd was already screaming crude chants against Milan supporters.
Musa’s weak finish in stoppage time was little more than a second consolation for the vanquished Portuguese, who, according to Inzaghi, surrendered it because someone in the crowd had blown a referee’s whistle.