Lautaro Martinez’s second half goal sealed Inter’s place in the Champions League final with an emphatic two-legged victory over Milan.
Lautaro Martinez gave Simone Inzaghi’s side the lead on the night in a surprisingly low-key encounter. As a reuult, Inter effectively managed and built upon the two-goal advantage they had accrued from last week’s first meeting.
There was no question that Inter were deserving winners of this tie, with a rather generous route to the final also seeing them progress past Porto and Benfica. This is not a vintage Inter side – they are only third in Serie A – but they are cup specialists.
They are into the final of the Coppa Italia, a competition which they also won last season, while they have won each of the past two Italian Supercoppas.
Simone Inzaghi has built a side who struggle with the nitty gritty of challenging for league titles but who are superb in one-off cup matches, with a strong record against top teams. They are absolutely outsiders for the final, but this formula gives them a fighting chance of pulling off an upset.
Milan star attacker Rafael Leao was forced to sit out the first leg through injury and while his side’s defensive issues in that game were separate to the Portuguese star’s absence, they badly missed his energy and directness in attack.
The talented 24-year-old may not have been at full fitness here but his presence was obvious, his threat ensuring that Inter wing-back Denzel Dumfries was pinned back with the Dutch international almost having to double up on Leao, alongside Matteo Darmian – playing on the right-side of a three-man backline.
Once Leao sprang into life, Milan looked dangerous. He turned Darmian smartly before firing a left-footed effort narrowly wide of goal ten minutes before the break. Had he been fully fit for this tie, the Rossoneri would have fancied their chances a lot more.
This was a game of few clear-cut opportunities for both sides but Inter’s goalkeeper Andre Onana and shot-stopper Mike Maignan of Milan both impressed. The latter produced several impressive reflex saves, including from Edin Dzeko’s close-range header in the second half.
Onana was once again a dependable performer for Inter, often proactively coming off his line to mop up attacks and constantly showed a willingness to play out from the back. His performance will be key for his side in the final.
Inter and Milan are always close rivals but this season, they are even more familiar with each other than usual. This was the fifth meeting of the campaign between the sides, with Inter winning each of the previous three meetings.
Simone Inzaghi’s side were the form team going into this encounter, having won seven matches in a row – a remarkable streak in which they had scored 21 goals and conceded just three. It included victories over Juventus, Lazio and Roma, alongside last week’s win over Milan.