Inter – Benfica | | The Inter, to ‘semis’ of Champions thirteen years later

If Benfica arrived at the San Siro with any hope, very soon Barella was in charge of vanishing it with a real golazeither. The first quarter of an hour of play had not yet been completed when, after a forceful defensive error by Otamendi, he picked up the ball on ’23’, combined with Lautaro, cut in the area sitting down to his pair and he placed her in the squad of the goal of Vlachodimos.

The first opportunity for the Portuguese did not arrive until half an hour, in a good direct free kick from Grimaldo. From then on, Roger Schmidt’s box stretched and, as a result, he scored the equalizer, which allowed Benfica to keep in the tie. Went with a spectacular header from Aursnes unstoppable for Onana after a measured cross from Rafa Silva. Minutes before, Del Cerro annulled a goal from Lautaro by a clear previous push.

Already in the second half, Benfica came out with another face and was seen with the clearest ideas in attack, beginning to accumulate arrivals, but without completing them. In fact, he didn’t even finish off between the three sticks and ended up paying dearly. After a combination on the left between Dimarco and Mkhitaryan, the winger gave it to Lautaro, who scored the 2-1 that, now yes, sentenced the tie, although not the game.

And it is that there would still be time to see up to three more goals. First, Correa scored with a cross hit to make it 3-1 that seemed to unleash a possible ‘Nerazzurri’ win in the final stretch. But eight minutes later, António Silva headed a free-kick into the back of the net to make it 3-2 and Musa scored the goal of honor and equalizer in the game in 1994. Both were insufficient for Benfica against an Inter that, thirteen years later, is once again savoring a Champions League ‘semis’.