Inter Milan Overcome Bayern Challenge to Book Semifinal Berth
Inter Milan clinched a spot in the Champions League semifinals after a dramatic 4-3 win on aggregate against Bayern Munich, concluding with a thrilling 2-2 draw in the second leg at the San Siro on Wednesday night.
Inter will meet Barcelona, a familiar opponent they faced at the same stage in 2010, where they emerged victorious before ultimately defeating Bayern in the final and completing a treble. This year, under the guidance of Simone Inzaghi, the team is aiming to replicate that incredible achievement.
“It’s a beautiful evening, live in our stadium, in front of our fans against a very strong team,” Inzaghi said. “We had to play two great games, putting everything we had. The boys were splendid; it’s a victory to share with the whole Inter world. We are moving forward in this long season that is giving us so many emotions.”
Although the match was far from easy for Inter, they managed to secure the result in a pulsating contest between two of Europe’s top leagues. Bayern, who lost the first leg 2-1, started the game aggressively, with Yann Sommer making a crucial save from Thomas Müller’s early shot.
A lapse by Nicolò Barella nearly let Bayern through when Müller seized possession, but Alessandro Bastoni intervened just in time to deny Michael Olise a shot. Inter responded with a near miss from Hakan Çalhanoglu, but soon found themselves defending desperately against Bayern’s efforts, including a blocked shot from Müller by Matteo Darmian and a saved rebound by Sommer from Leroy Sané. The teams went into halftime goalless.
Bayern struck first in the second half when Harry Kane netted his 11th goal of the tournament. Receiving a ball from Leon Goretzka, Kane took his time before firing a shot that went through Federico Dimarco’s legs and found the back of the net.
Inter Milan in action against Bayern Munich
However, the lead lasted only six minutes. Lautaro Martínez equalized for Inter from a corner kick. After his initial header hit Joshua Kimmich, Martínez pounced on the rebound and made it count.
“We will remember this for a long time,” Martínez stated. “Inter, don’t give up; we have personality, heart, and head. We suffered, but we showed once again that we can do great things. Every year, we try to win everything.”
Looking to secure their advantage, Inter found a second goal just three minutes later. After a shot from Darmian was cleared off the line, Benjamin Pavard headed home from the resulting corner.
Bayern, however, continued to fight back. Following a short corner, Serge Gnabry delivered a well-placed ball into the box, and Eric Dier’s attempted cross ended up in the net, adding to the tense atmosphere with just 14 minutes left in the match.
The closing minutes were nerve-wracking, as Sommer made a diving save from Müller in added time. In the end, Inter held on to their lead and made history by becoming the first team to prevent Bayern from winning away in this fixture, knocking them out of the competition.
