Italian calcium will return to the Champions League final six years later. Inter and Milan will face off in an exciting ‘Derby della Madonnina’ with a ticket to Istanbul at stake after the ‘Nerazzurri’ emulated the ‘Rossoneri’ a day later to defeat Benfica. If the 0-2 loss in Lisbon was already eloquent, Inter’s solvent performance against his team gave them no chance of a comeback.
Barella threw cold water on Benfica’s initial enthusiasm. Although the Norwegian Aursnes opened a thread of hope for Portugal just before the break, Inter perfectly controlled the timing of the game and settled the contest through the Argentines Lautaro Martínez and Joaquín Correa before the goals of honor from António Silva and Musa.
The staging of Benfica was to the extent of what the Portuguese team needed to come back from 0-2 in Lisbon. Huge doses of intensity in the pressure and electricity after each recovery of the ball. The Eagles played patiently on opponents’ ground when Inter destroyed the Portuguese house of cards. Against, a cut by Barella and a left-footed shot at the same squad. Once again the Italian midfielder, as in the first leg, throwing cold water on Benfica.
Inter
Onana, Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni (D’Ambrosio, min. 80), Dumfries, Barella (Calhanoglu, min. 76), Brozovic, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (Gosens, min. 80), Lautaro Martínez (Joaquín Correa, min. 76 ) and Dzeko (Lukaku, min. 76).
3
–
3
Benfica
Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Neres, min. 46), António Silva, Otamendi, Grimaldo, Florentino, Chiquinho (Musa, min. 80), Rafa Silva (Neves, min. 80), Joao Mário (Schjelderup, min. 89), Aursnes and Gonçalo Ramos (Guedes, min. 76).
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Goals:
1-0: min. 14, Barella. 1-1: minutes 38, Aurnes. 2-1: min. 66, Lautaro. 3-1: min. 78, Belt. 3-2: minutes 86, Antonio Silva. 3-3: min. 95, Muse. -
Referee:
From Cerro Grande (Spain). He admonished Rafa Silva, Musa and Neres. -
Incidents:
Second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals played at the Giuseppe Meazza.
Reinforced in its advantage, an abyss of three goals, Inter already had a wide range. As vulnerable in Serie A as forceful in the Champions League, the ‘neroazzurro’ team was not willing to concede the least, with their archenemy Milan on the horizon of the semifinals.
Inter is very comfortable against a Benfica team that has been one of the sensations of the season but has just reached the decisive stage of the season. A long-range free-kick from Grimaldo, well saved by Onana, had been the biggest scare for Giuseppe Meazza’s parish in the first half when Aursnes opened a thread of hope. A good cross from Rafa Silva and the best header from the Norwegian, who put Benfica two goals away from a miracle.
The Benfiquista enthusiasm after the break, fruit of faith, was contained by Inter with great skill to put the game to sleep. Simone Inzhagi’s team had already extinguished any source of insurrection when they ended the battle through the depth of Dimarco for the left profile and the definition of Lautaro Martínez. His compatriot Joaquín Correa made even more blood after the barrage of changes and the duel closed with goals of honor from António Silva and Musa for a proud Benfica but without fuel at the end of the season.
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