May 11 – It took Inter Milan just four minutes and two goals to take a huge step toward qualification for the Champions League final with a 2-0 defeat of city rivals AC Milan.
It was the third time this year that AC Milan have succumbed to their neighbours and the team had a nightmare start, trailing 2-0 within eleven minutes. Edin Dezko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were on the scoresheet for Inter, goals that all but decided the tie barring a miracle in next week’s second leg.
At 37, Dezko once again proved he remains a lethal striker. The Bosnian might well meet his former team Manchester City in the final. On Tuesday, the English champions drew 1-1 with European champions Real Madrid.
“It feels very good, especially because it’s a derby and on paper we played away so it’s a great result for us,” Dzeko said.
“Nothing is yet finished because in the Champions League only great teams arrive in the semifinal, so we have to be careful, we have to be concentrated like today. We have a good result but nothing yet is finished so we will definitely be even more concentrated for the second game.”
In the 31st minute, Inter were awarded a penalty as Martinez went down inside the box following a Simon Kjaer challenge, but the referee ruled it out following VAR intervention.
After the break, Milan gained some composure and Sandro Tonali’s shot hit the post but overall it was an underwhelming performance.
Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi said: “We played a brilliant first half, but it’s a tight scoreline for what we did out there. It’s a hugely positive night which gives us a lot of satisfaction but we’re missing one more piece to attain a dream that we believed in since August.”
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