For the first time since 2010.
Milan pulled out everything
It seems that the 2-0 defeat in the first semi-final was no accident for Milan. Even if it looks like that from the outside. The Rossoneri didn’t collect themselves at the start, they conceded two quick goals, but they had the chance to fix everything. Just bad luck. NO. The return game proved that everything was more than natural and fair.
Throughout the second leg, there was no segment where Milan would dictate terms or take the initiative. Control of the match remained with Inter from the start until the final whistle, even if they didn’t have to make any extra effort. Milan proved to be too weak.
The hope of the Rossoneri could be a response in the style of Inter itself, that is going on the attack from the first seconds and quick goals under pressure. And when you’re late by a ball, you can always catch on and the opponent would falter. In fact, Milan turned out to be less proactive than in the first leg, where they still showed emotion. There were hardly any here. It seems that the Rossoneri simply could not play otherwise, they did not have the physical and technical means to organize aggressive pressure. In such cases, an emotional charge could come to the rescue, but it wasn’t there either. Milan seemed emasculated from the start of the match.
In fact, Milan only had two and a half chances to score in the whole match. Inter had more. You can recall Hernandez’s long shot at the beginning of the match. There was a lack of precision. Then there was Diaz’s shot from a lethal position, but Onana read Brahim’s plan and covered the ball. Finally, Leau’s breakthrough after Darmian’s mistake and his shot wide from the far corner should be noted. And it was all part of the first half. In the second, there was almost no chance.
Milan’s hopes were linked to the return of Leau, but Rafael was unprepared for the fight like the rest of the team. This is the case when the leader’s form is consistent with the form of the entire team. He dissolved into it, in fact, creating only a dangerous moment. Inter defenders confidently “ate” Leau, and the Rossoneri had no other sources of threat.
The substitutions also speak of Milan’s desperate situation. Stefano Pioli saw very well that the starting combination of players did not cope with the task of saving at all. But he made his first substitution in the 64th minute, and it was forced: the injured Tiav came out, giving way to Kalul. The latter, among other things, was able to assist Lautaro Martinez’s goal from the most advantageous point, because he was amazed, next to three teammates in his penalty area, when Lukaku was thinking about how to roll the ball into the ‘Argentinian .
And substitutions for game adjustments were made after the passed ball, when there were no chances to save. Salemakers and Origi appeared in place of Messias and Diaz, whose usefulness from the first minutes also raised doubts. Pioli made no other moves. He himself didn’t seem to believe that his team was capable of changing anything. And this is Milan’s main problem, which seemed doomed from the first to the last minute. But we are talking about the semi-finals of the Champions League, where it is not known when this team will still be.
A lesson in composure
Against this backdrop, Inter looked particularly confident and calm. Simone Inzaghi’s replacements have shown that they have a great understanding of game development and also have the resources to maneuver. Mkhitaryan was injured in the first half – he didn’t lose like Inter, freeing Brozovich. Then the appearance of Lukaku and Gosens punctually refreshed the necessary positions so that the Nerazzurri did not lose their physical tone and concentration.
It’s no joke, the more Milan needed to put pressure on the opponent, the less they were allowed to do it. We called the Rossoneri moments in the first half. In the first 45 minutes, Milan had four shots on target with a shot on target, while Inter made seven attempts with the same shot.
One would have expected Inter to pamper themselves more in the second half and Milan to push in desperation. Hand. For the entire second half, when the Rossoneri had to recklessly and aggressively storm the opponent’s goal, they made only one shot on goal. And that is inaccurate. One! Inter have eight attempts in the same segment with three shots on target. And here it is no longer so important that Milan owned the ball more – in the region of 55% of the time. Milan at this stage proved to be only a lower class team than Inter. At a specific time. And this goes for everything: the flexibility of the coach, the mood of the team, the physical condition and human resources. Total.
Sixth final
It is clear that in the next Champions League final, both Manchester City and Real Madrid will be favorites against Inter Milan. But lovers of intrigue should be content with the form of the “Nerazzurri”. Inzaghi’s team is approaching the decisive match in optimal conditions. This victory was the eighth in a row for Inter. Also, the segment’s total score is 22:3. Separately, it is worth noting that in the current Champions League, Inter did not concede a single goal in eight out of 12 matches. And in the playoffs, in general, there was only one match with goals conceded – the return match with Benfica (3:3).
For Inter, the next Champions League final will be the sixth in history (if you take the previous one Champions League) and their first since 2010 – the same victory under José Mourinho’s coaching, when they defeated Bayern in the final. Of the five previous finals, Inter have won three. But the victories before 2010 go back a long way. In 1964 they beat Real Madrid in the final and in 1965 they defeated Benfica in the deciding match. Then there were meetings with Celtic in the 1967 final, when they lost, and with Ajax in the 1972 final. Also unsuccessful.
