Pep Guardiola reviews Real Madrid draw in the Champions League
Inter Milan booked their place in the Champions League final for the first time since 2010 following a 1-0 victory over AC Milan on Tuesday night. Simone Inzaghi’s side went into the game with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg. And they’ll now lock horns with either Manchester City or Real Madrid in Istanbul on June 10.
Inter Milan rode their luck at times during the second leg of their clash with AC, with the ‘visitors’ going close through Brahim Diaz.
And Francesco Acerbi can also count himself fortunate after a stamp on the boot of Sandro Tonali went unpunished, with BT Sport pundits believing he could have seen red for his actions.
AC gambled for the showdown by picking Rafael Leao, who had missed the first leg due to injury.
But the Portugal international was unable to summon any magic as his side crashed out of the competition having failed to score across over 180 minutes of football, with Martinez’s goal enough to see their rivals through.
Express Sport now takes a look at how Inter made the final, with either Manchester City or Real Madrid up next.
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Group stage
Inter’s route to the Champions League final got off to the worst possible start after a 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich.
However, they then proceeded to beat Victoria Plzen 2-0 – before claiming a vital 1-0 win over Barcelona on home soil.
Inter dug deep to draw 3-3 with Barcelona in the reverse fixture at the Nou Camp.
And they were too strong for Plzen at home, claiming a 4-0 victory on a straightforward night at the office back in October.
Inter did lose 2-0 to Bayern in the last game of the group stages but, still, were able to progress to the knockout stages anyway.
Round of 16
Sometimes, all you need is one goal.
And that’s exactly how Inter were able to get past Porto in the round of 16.
Romelu Lukaku netted in the 86th minute of the first leg at the San Siro, with the Belgium international making his mark on the big stage.
Porto huffed and puffed for a crucial leveller during the second leg.
But it was Inter who went through anyway, with Lukaku’s goal enough to see them make the last eight of the competition.
Quarter-finals and AC first leg
Benfica were one of the surprise packages of the Champions League this season during their time in the competition.
But they were unable to prevent Inter from winning in Portugal, with Lukaku and Nico Barella both on target.
The second leg was a classic, however.
Inter were cruising at 3-1 up after goals from Barella, Lautaro Martinez and Joaquin Correa.
But late goals from Antonio Silva and Peter Musa saw Benfica secure a draw, even if it wasn’t enough to go through.
In the first leg of the semi-finals, Inter won 2-0 with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Edin Dzeko both finding the net.
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