Inter eye Champions League final after seeing off Milan

MILAN – Simone Inzaghi can already see his Inter Milan team in the Champions League final in June after an impressive 2-0 away win over local rivals AC Milan in the first leg of their semi-final on Wednesday.

All Inter need is to avoid a collapse in the return leg of their all-Italian tie in order to set up a clash with either Real Madrid or Manchester City in Istanbul.

And Inzaghi was in confident mood after watching his team dominate the match, while missing several chances to make the score humiliating for their cross-town rivals.

“We played a brilliant first half, but it’s a tight scoreline for what we did out there,” he said.

“Then in the second half, we managed the game well. Apart from (Sandro) Tonali’s shot (which hit the post), the boys did great in covering the whole pitch.

“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.

“There are still seven days left. We know we’ve got one more small step to go. We know we still have to put on another great effort to reach the dream final.”

The Nerazzurri grabbed two early goals through Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, while Milan played without their star man Rafael Leao.

Bosnian striker Dzeko, 37, became the second oldest player to score in a Champions League semi-final after Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs.

He struck twice in Inter’s 6-0 win against Hellas Verona earlier in May to end a near four-month goal drought.

“Sometimes you get in this difficult moment where the ball doesn’t want to go in. Patience and work always pays off. I was calm knowing the goals would come as always,” he said.

Leao could be back for next Tuesday’s second leg after he missed Wednesday’s match with a thigh injury.

The Portugal winger is crucial to Milan’s attack and his absence made Inter’s job that much easier, but Inzaghi is not worried about the 23-year-old’s potential return next week.

“We have played loads of derbies with Leao playing and without him playing,” he said.

“He’s a great player who is very important for them, but it won’t change our plan for the match.”

Milan manager Stefano Pioli remained optimistic despite the defeat, which he put down to their opponents’ clinical finishing.

“The reality is that Inter performed better in the first half, scoring two goals, while we showed improvement in the second half but failed to find the net,” he said.

“We had the chances in the second half so naturally, in the second leg, we need more quality and a more aggressive attitude.”

The loss to Inter was Milan’s third defeat by their neighbours in a single season, something they have not experienced since the 1994-95 campaign.

The Rossoneri secured a 3-2 home win over Inter in Serie A in September before suffering back-to-back defeats, 3-0 in the Italian Super Cup and 1-0 in Serie A.

Pioli, however, praised his team’s resilience as they bid to stay on course to win the European Cup for the eighth time, 16 years after their last triumph in 2007.

“The boys are aware that it’s not the performance and the result we wanted, there is disappointment, and the determination and will to try and change this result in the second leg,” he added.

Last season’s Italian champions Milan have won only two of their last six domestic matches and are fifth in the standings with four games left. 

Inter are in fourth spot and two points ahead. AFP, REUTERS