Frattesi’s Dramatic Goal Puts Inter Milan Ahead of Bayern in First-Leg Showdown
Inter Milan pulled off a thrilling 2-1 victory against Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday, scoring a dramatic winner in the 88th minute thanks to Davide Frattesi. Lautaro Martínez got things started for Inter with a goal in the first half, just moments after Bayern’s Harry Kane hit the woodwork in a surprising miss that left him visibly frustrated.
In the closing moments of the match, Thomas Müller of Bayern Munich, who recently revealed he would be departing the club at the season’s conclusion, appeared to have secured a crucial equalizer with just five minutes remaining. However, just three minutes later, Frattesi scored to clinch the victory for Inter. This defeat marked the end of Bayern’s remarkable 22-match unbeaten streak at home in European competitions. This defeat marked the end of Bayern’s remarkable 22-match unbeaten streak at home in European competitions.
This result also keeps alive Inter’s hopes of returning to the Allianz Arena for the Champions League final on May 31. But first, they’ll need to take on Bayern again in the return leg at San Siro next Wednesday; the winner of that matchup will face either Barcelona or Borussia Dortmund in the semifinals.
“It wasn’t an easy match, and we didn’t expect it to be,” Müller commented after the game. “We had numerous chances, but that final counterattack resulted in the 2-1. If that hadn’t happened, we would have walked away with a 1-1 draw, which would have been a decent result.”
In another quarterfinal clash, Arsenal stunned Real Madrid with a commanding 3-0 victory, positioning the English side on the brink of a semifinal face-off against either Aston Villa or Paris Saint-Germain.
Interestingly, Inter had lost their previous two encounters with Bayern, both 2-0, during last season’s Champions League group stage. However, they did triumph over Bayern in the 2010 final to achieve a historic treble, and they’re hoping to replicate that success this year.
Bayern was missing several key players due to injuries, including attacker Jamal Musiala, who suffered a hamstring tear recently. Inter also faced their own injury woes.
Kane, who was chasing his 11th Champions League goal of the season, had a couple of golden opportunities to score.
As Bayern grew more optimistic about finding a winner, they left gaps in their defense. Inter took advantage when Nicolò Barella spotted Carlos Augusto’s run into the box, and after receiving the pass, Augusto laid it off for Frattesi to slot home the decisive goal. What a match!
