Author – Amrit Santlani
Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez made the difference in leading his side to their first Champions League final since they last lifted the trophy in 2009-10 under José Mourinho.
With a 2-0 aggregate lead from the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, Inter won the second leg 1-0 at the San Siro on Wednesday. Martinez’s goal in the 74th minute proved to be the final nail in the coffin of a lacklustre Milan unit, which failed to live up to expectations despite Rafael Leão’s return from injury.
The Portuguese striker sat out the first leg due to a thigh injury and, although he had the best chance of the night to reduce the deficit, Léo shot wide of the first mark.
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While Inter await their fellow finalists ahead of Thursday’s Champions League semi-final second leg between Real Madrid and Manchester City, the manner in which Simone Inzaghi’s side defeated AC Milan means they will be hard to beat, for all City and Madrid’s firepower.
Inter Milan reached their last Champions League final in 13 years when Martinez exchanged passes with Romelu Lukaku and, although at first it looked like Milan had enough men to defend, Lukaku unlocked Milan’s defense with a simple pass and Martinez didn’t miss a shot from six meters.
Argentina’s World Cup winner beat Mike Maignan at the back post and sent the fans at San Siro into raptures. After being placed alongside the likes of Bayern Munich and Barcelona in the group of death, the team not only managed to beat Barça in the round of 16, but also made it to the final, with the aim of capping off a remarkable campaign with what would only be their fourth Champions League title.
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After the match, Martinez praised the consistency of the Inter team as the decisive factor, after they managed to beat their arch-rivals in both games and earn bragging rights in the Derby della Madonnina (derby between Milan and Inter Milan).
“It’s the team that counts. I experienced it at the World Cup (with Argentina)“, said Martinez.
“It’s easier if you have a united team, with everyone working in the same direction. This means that you can play these very important matches in the best possible way.”
He added:“After winning the World Cup and experiencing what the pinnacle is for a player, I knew we could reach this final, and we did.”
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Milan dominated most of the possession in the first half, while Inter looked to play on the counter-attack and both teams had a great opportunity each to open the scoring. Edin Dzeko came close to scoring in the second half when he deflected Hakan Calhanoglu’s free-kick towards goal, but Maignan made a point-blank save to prevent his team from falling further behind.
At the other end, Léo’s individual run put the Inter defenders in trouble, but the Portuguese player couldn’t keep his shot on target.
The Belgian scored twice against Sassuolo and started on the bench on Wednesday, but he certainly made a difference from the moment he came on. The Chelsea loanee could have scored a late goal, but Maignan was alert.
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Brazilian winger Junior Messias didn’t impress Milan and despite his attempts, he couldn’t unlock a resolute Inter defense before being sent off in the 76th minute.
“It’s normal to be disappointed after losing in the semi-final, especially in a derby,” Pioli said after Milan’s defeat.
“Considering our journey and what we’ve done over the last three years, it would have been fabulous to reach the final. But we didn’t succeed, which is a great disappointment” he added.