Champions League
City derby in the premier class: Inter are on course for the final after beating AC Milan
City derby in the premier class: Alexis Saelemaekers (left) from AC Milan and Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan
© Antonio Calanni/AP/DPA
The 236th derby between Inter and AC Milan turns into a one-sided affair. Ex-Bundesliga professionals Dzeko and Mchitarjan give Inter hope for the Champions League final.
After a gala evening in the 236th Milan football derby, Inter are close to their first Champions League final since the last triumph 13 years ago. In the first leg of the semi-finals, coach Simone Inzaghi’s team didn’t give city rivals AC Milan a chance and, with a 2-0 (2-0) win, created an excellent starting position for the second duel on May 16.
The two former Bundesliga professionals Edin Dzeko (8th) and Henrich Mchitarjan (11th) scored for the well-deserved victory, which could have been even better. The Nerazzurri have won the Henkel Cup three times in their club’s history, most recently in 2010 with a 2-0 win over FC Bayern Munich. In the second semi-final on Tuesday, defending champions Real Madrid and Manchester City drew 1-1 in the first leg.
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Prominent guests in the stands: Novak Djokovic and Zlatan Ibrahimovic among the spectators
“We started the game badly. Inter had the game completely under control for the first 25, 30 minutes. We didn’t get a chance at all. They were more greedy and accepted the duels. We were just spectators,” said former Schalke player Malick Thiaw, coming on for Milan in the second half: “The atmosphere was amazing. I feel sorry for the Milan fans for the performance we put in. We have to go all in in the second leg.”
75,000 fans made for an electrifying atmosphere in San Siro – and plenty of celebrities had gathered in the stands. Tennis world number one Novak Djokovic chatted with veteran Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and former football greats such as Andrei Shevchenko, Andrea Pirlo and Mario Balotelli did not miss the Milan spectacle.
Black and red dominated the stands, after all Milan had home rights. But the unloved city rival quickly proved to be a mood killer. Ex-Wolfsburg’s Dzeko shocked the Rossoneri after just eight minutes when he overtook defender Davide Calabria from a Hakan Calhanoglu corner. For the 37-year-old, who was preferred to Belgian strike giant Romelu Lukaku, it was the fourth goal of this premier class season.
AC Milan still well served with 0: 2 at the break
And it got even worse for Milan: Just three minutes later, Federico Dimarco staged the ex-Dortmunder Mchitarjan, who finished ice cold. The hosts were completely out of character, acted without ideas and had no concept at all against Inter’s attacking attack, in which German international Robin Gosens, who had recovered from a shoulder injury, was on the bench.
It all went against the reigning champion. Star striker Rafael Leão, who is about to extend his contract, was unable to get fit in time due to his adductor injury and left a big gap with his individual class. And midfield organizer Ismael Bennacer had to leave the field injured early on.
With the 0:2 at the break, Stefano Pioli’s team was even well served. Calhanoglu hit the post for Inter (16′). In addition, the Spanish referee Gil Manzano took back a penalty for Inter after a video review because Lautaro Martinez went down very quickly (31st). The Argentine world champion also had another good chance to score (34′).
In the second round, the hosts were able to make the game a little more balanced. This also lifted the spirits of the Milan fans, who in the meantime lit firecrackers and Bengali fires. More than a shot by Sandro Tonali did not come out (63.).