Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored in the first half to help Inter Milan produce one of the massive football scores of the midweek action in the Champions League. At the San Siro on a crucial night for Italian football, Dzeko and Mkhitaryan’s goals gave Inter the lead after just 11 minutes. Rafael Leao’s withdrawal from the match due to his failure to recover from a thigh injury dealt a significant blow to the home team even before the game began. Inter’s first-half performance was devastating, and his presence was missed. If VAR hadn’t controversially rejected an on-field penalty decision for a foul by Simon Kjaer on the superb Lautaro Martinez despite what appeared to be obvious contact on the forward, Inter may have had a bigger lead.
Only a Sandro Tonali shot that hit the post gave Inter, who always carried a danger on the break, a genuine test as AC Milan improved after the interval and could not have played any worse. For the second leg of the semi-final on Tuesday, Inter has the benefit of playing in front of their own supporters, back at the San Siro. In the championship game, the victor of the draw will take on either Real Madrid or Manchester City.
The bitter rivals hadn’t faced off in the Champions League since their 2005 quarterfinal match, which was called off when some Inter fans threw flares onto the pitch. Inter once more set off the pyrotechnics, dominating their competitors from the get-go. After just eight minutes, they had taken the lead when former Manchester City striker Dzeko broke away from a corner and slammed a volley from 12 yards past a hapless Milan custodian named Mike Maignan. Moments later, the score was 2-0. As Mkhitaryan was advancing past the Milan defense, an assault from the left found him. He finished expertly into the corner.
Following a 25-yard shot by Hakan Calhanoglu off a post, Maignan then successfully stopped Mkhitaryan’s close-range attempt. One method alone was in use. Inter was given a penalty in the 31st minute when Martinez was brought down by Kjaer’s challenge, which was a major relief for Stefano Pioli’s team. But after the VAR asked him to evaluate his choice, Spanish referee Jesus Gil Manzano chose to reverse his first ruling.
After the break, Milan reacted as Junior Messias blew a golden opportunity to score when through on goal and Brahim Diaz curled narrowly wide from 20 yards. Then Tonali’s effort cannoned against the base of the left post as it appeared like the home team would not score that evening. Inter Milan’s night was this one. The championship game is within reach.
“Obviously, we’re disappointed. Just like how we opened the game, giving up two goals right away. The first one comes from a corner, followed immediately by another. Going down 0-0 is terrible, but falling behind again in the opening 15 minutes is a real blow in the teeth,” AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori said. “It took some time for us to resume play. The crew had some uneasiness. You cannot do it in a game like this. It’s simply the opening match. We must not let our guard down. We are aware that if we play with the proper ferocity and had taken the last pass or shot with a little more grit or rage, we would have scored. Though we’re disappointed, we can’t let it consume us. We must go to the following game.”
Dzeko has scored in each of his three appearances in the UEFA Champions League semifinals. He also scored in both halves of Roma vs. Liverpool in 2017–18. He is the second-oldest player to score in the competition’s semifinal at 37 years and 54 days, trailing only Ryan Giggs from 2011 against Schalke (37 years, 148 days). For the first time since the 1994–95 season, Internazionale has defeated rival Milan three times in all competitions in a season (once in Serie A, once in the Italian Super Cup, and once in the UEFA Champions League).
Only one side has ever failed to advance to the final after winning the first leg of a semi-final by two goals or more, and that team was Barcelona in the 2018–19 matchup against Liverpool (3-0 first leg, 0–4 second leg). Along with Steve McManaman (1999-2000 to 2002-2003 with Real Madrid) and Owen Hargreaves (2000-01, Bayern Munich), Tomori became just the third English player to play in a UEFA Champions League semi-final for a non-English team.
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