The Milan Champions League semi-final after the first leg seemed to lost intrigue. «Inter» in the first game looked very confident and had to issue an exit to the final of the tournament. And so it happened — but the victory was given to the «black and blue» is not easy.
Waiting for a miracleThe advantage of «Inter» following the results of the first meeting was not only scoring. Two goals is bad, but not fatal, in the history of the Champions League, not such handicaps have been recouped. Impressed by the difference in the quality of the game. «Milan» was not completely bad, but «Inter» was very good — a well-balanced game in attack and defense, quick combinations, skillful pressing, aggressive struggle. For a turning point in the confrontation with Milan, a real miracle was needed.
And the Red-Blacks had a player who could create it. Rafael Leau, who was so lacking for the team in the first match, returned from injury and took a place in the starting lineup. It was with him that the fans of Milan pinned their main hopes for the revival of the intrigue.
Probably, the Leau factor influenced Inter's game in the first minutes. The Portuguese himself was not noticeable, but his presence fettered the actions of the hosts. Fearing an opening up of Milan's star in space, the hosts acted with an eye on the defense and allowed the opposition to have more ball possession.
UEFA Champions League16 May 2023 • Start at 22:00Finished
Inter Mitalia1 : 0
MilanItaly
74' • Lautaro Martinez (Romelu Lukaku)< br>
«Milan» was close to resurrecting the intrigue. In the first 10 minutes, Stefano Pioli's men created three great chances. First, a long-range shot by Theo Hernandez whistled over the crossbar, then the Nerazzurri barely made the ball out of the goalkeeper's area after Olivier Giroud's discount. And finally, Braim Diaz had to score after a solo pass and a cross from Sandro Tonali, but Andre Onana saved the hosts after a shot from 10 meters.
These moments arose in simple situations and were given to Milan too easily. It seemed that «Inter» is about to falter. But that did not happen. The hosts pulled themselves together and managed to calm the game — ball control, small puffs of time, more aggressive wrestling. The main task of the wards of Simone Inzaghi was to slow down the pace and the starting pressure of the opponent, and they succeeded perfectly.
But here the «merit» and the «Milan». Guests did not have enough integrity to take the initiative in their own hands after a good start. «Inter» gave the opponent the opportunity to control the game, but the «red-blacks» did not take advantage of this. The lack of proper structure in the attack did not allow Pioli's men to move the ball quickly, and the individual efforts of the attacking players got stuck in a tight defense. Losses came one after another, and in the end, Inter finally regained control of the situation.
Order beats chaos It cannot be said that Inter had the initiative. The hosts' attacks rarely carried a serious threat, and the defense was effective, among other things, due to the randomness of the opponent's actions. But the «black and blue» did not try to take the initiative for themselves. It was enough for them that the opponent did not have it.
The simple but well-structured game of Inzaghi's charges gave them the opportunity to control the course of the confrontation. They didn't have to put in much effort to counter Milan's erratic attacks, as the visiting players acted mostly alone. Brahim Diaz burrowed into a bunch of opponents and often lost the ball, Junior Messias crossed into the void, and Olivier Giroud was completely cut off from partners.
But even in such a chaotic game, Milan almost caught their chance for a miracle. The author of this chance was, of course, Rafael Leau. At the end of the first half, he received the ball in space, dealt with two opponents and almost hit the goal with a shot from an acute angle. The ball went a few centimeters from the far post.
This was Milan's last opportunity to cling to the result. In the second half, Inter came out with a clearer plan and did nothing to create an opponent in attack. The less time left before the final whistle, the more chaotic were the guests' attempts to change something. And it all ended with Lautaro Martinez's goal against the guests, who put an end to this confrontation between order and chaos. Order confidently won. Inter are in the Champions League final again — 13 years later. The last final ended with the victory of the Nerazzurri under José Mourinho — how will it be now?