Inter advance to the quarterfinals with just enough after drawing at O Dragao
Inzaghi’s team made good the 1-0 in the first leg to be among the eight best in the Champions League for the first time in twelve years
MADRID, 14 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Inter Milan sealed their pass to the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday after achieving a meritorious draw (0-0) against Porto at O Dragao with which they made good the first-leg victory by 1-0 at the Giuseppe Meazza.
The Italian team, who knew how to defend the short income of a goal achieved in the Italian fiefdom thanks to a goal in the final stretch of the Belgian Romelu Lukaku, controlled a duel in which the ‘Neriazzurri’ did not suffer too much to return to the quarterfinals the maximum continental competition for the first time since the 2010-2011 season.
The three-time European champion, who was coming off a tough and painful defeat (2-1) against Spezia, set up defense to control from the start the onslaught of a Porto that only scared them in the final moments. The local team, which has practically said goodbye to the domestic championship, 8 points behind a leading Benfica in Portugal, says goodbye to another title, at a bad time for the dragons.
Thus, the heat of O Dragao was the reason for the start of a Portuguese team that came out with clear ideas with a shot from Matheus Uribe after two minutes of play. Sergio Conceiçao’s team did not take long to gain control of a game that he controlled through possession. However, Inter’s defensive approach complicated the attacks of a Porto that did not finish reaching the goal. Although the locals printed one more march before the break, the first part came to an end without much pain or glory.
After the break the same script continued, although with a much more solid Italian team that remained well planted behind with its line of five. In addition, aware of the positive result, Simone Inzaghi’s box handed over the ball waiting for the arrivals of a Porto that did not finish printing speed to its attacks until well into the second half.
Thus, the first clear chance came after 75′, but Onana stretched perfectly to prevent Grujic’s shot from hitting the goal. In the end, the desperate attempt by the Portuguese was about to send the match into extra time, but the double post and Dumfries taking Marcano’s shot on the very line, was enough to consummate the pass for the Italians.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: PORTO, 0 – INTER DE MILAN, 0 (0-0, at halftime).
–LINEUPS:
OPORTO: Onana; Darmian (Skriniar, min.80), Acerbi, Bastoni (De Vrij, min.74), Dumfries, Barella (Brozovic, min.80), Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (D’Ambrosio, min.70), Dzeko (Lukaku , min.70) y Lautaro.
INTER MILAN: Diogo Costa; Pepe, Fabio Cardoso, Marcano, Zaidu (Wendell, 85 minutes), Grujic, Matheus Uribe (Danny Namaso, 85 minutes), Eustaquio (Franco, 70 minutes), Galeno, Taremi and Evaninson (Martinez, 71 minutes) . . . .
–REFEREE: Szymon Marciniak (Poland). He admonished Darmian (min.33), Dzeko (min.69) and Acerbi (min.90) for Inter Milan, and Pepe (min.79) for Porto. He expelled Pepe.
–STADIUM: O Dragao Stadium.
