Inter Milan again offers the derby and qualifies for the final

Invincible. No other adjective has suited Inter Milan better in recent weeks. Winner in the semi-final first leg of the Champions League against its neighbor, AC Milan (0-2), the formation nerazzurri reiterated in the return match this Tuesday, May 16 (1-0), thanks to his goleador Argentinian, Lautaro Martinez. A laborious, disputed victory, reminiscent of the game of the last interist team having reached the final of the ultimate European competition, and having won it, in 2010.

However, the comparison ends here. Because Inter Milan version Simone Inzaghi is a fluctuating, unpredictable team, whose place in the last four of the Champions League was already surprising. Far from being serene in the quarter-finals against Benfica Lisbon (0-2 in the first leg, then 3-3 in the return), Inter had just as much trouble in the round of 16 against FC Porto (1-0 in the first leg, 0-0 on the return).

But the Lombards have a tough team for them, capable of transcending themselves when the need arises. The absolute proof: a series of eight consecutive victories, started on April 23, and extended this Tuesday evening in a Giuseppe-Meazza stadium won over to his cause. It adds to a perfect record in 2023 in the many derbies “Della Madonnina” (3-0 in the Italian Supercup, 1-0 in the league, then 2-0 and 1-0 in the semi-finals).

A game-oriented team

In constant movement, surly, Lautaro Martinez, the atypical Argentinian striker of Inter Milan, knew how to be as valuable as decisive, outward and return. If Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Edin Dzeko had found the fault in the first leg against French goalkeeper Mike Maignan, the 2022 world champion saw his efforts rewarded in the return match, with a precise strike in the heart of the area.

Served by his attacking colleague, the Belgian Romelu Lukaku, the 25-year-old Argentinian only offered his third European goal of the season, far from his 20 units registered in the league. Elected man of the match at the end of the meeting, he symbolizes above all a team turned towards the game, where the most prolific scorer, Edin Dzeko, has only one more goal.

At the final whistle, at the microphone of Sky Sport, Lautaro Martinez logically praised his people: “What matters is the group. I experienced it at the World Cup, if you have a united group, everyone is going in the same direction, everything is easier. We have shown that Inter deserve to live these types of evenings and to arrive at these moments which are so important for a player. »

With the final in sight, it’s hard not to remember the last one disputed by Inter, and the performance of his compatriot, Diego Milito, author of a victorious double in 2010 against Bayern Munich (2-0 ).

Manchester City or Real Madrid?

One unknown remains, however, which will be ruled out in less than twenty-four hours: against whom will the Milanese play in Istanbul on June 10? On the other side of the final table, the people of Madrid, led by Karim Benzema, will travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, after conceding a draw at home (1-1). Considered automatically as the outsider, Inter will have to wait some time, and will have for life-size training, on May 24, the final of the Italian Cup, against Fiorentina.

As for AC Milan, its end of the season will surely rhyme with a sprint for the European places, badly started for the moment. Fifth in the standings, the “Rossoneri” are four points behind fourth-placed Lazio Roma and could end the year on a sour note. One more.