He Inter He has a foot and a half in the semifinals of the Champions after assaulting Da Luz thanks to the goals from Barella and Lukaku in the second half (0-2). A difference that reflects the dominance of the ‘Nerazzurri’ squad, which they blocked with their defensive discipline to one of the highest scoring teams on the continent, he proved to have more competitive callus and imposed his effectiveness in the shot.
Datasheet:
0 – Benfica: Vlachodimos; Gilberto, Antonio Silva, Morato, Grimaldo; Florentino (Neres, min.64), Chiquinho; Joao Mario, Aursnes, Rafa; Gonçalo Ramos.
2 – Inter Milan: Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni (De Vrij, min.92); Dumfries (D’Ambrosio, min.87), Barella, Brozovic, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (Gosens, min.63); Lautaro Martinez (Belt, min.63), Dzeko (Lukaku, min.62).
goals: 0-1, min.51: Barella; 0-2, min. 82: Lukaku.
Referee: Michael Oliver (ENG). He showed a yellow card to Silva by Benfica and to Brozovic and Dzeko by Inter.
incidences: First leg of the Champions League quarterfinals played at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.
However, the first half obeyed the canons of the opening episode of any tie. Balance, tactical rigor and concentration abounded in 45 minutes that left a single shot on goal. This came from an error by Dimarco, who made a false clearance, but Onana, well placed, intercepted Rafa Silva’s shot.
Seasoned in the duels that took place across the length and breadth of the field, both teams blocked. Safe at the back and reliable with the ball, Inter limited Benfica’s runs and prowled the rival area on the brink of half-time in actions from set pieces and with Dimarco’s climbs down the left lane. His only notable shot, however, was a distant howitzer from Acerbi that grazed the crossbar.
He Benfica returned more aggressive from the holiday, but he soon received a setback from which he would not get up. Bastoni advanced unopposed and crossed with precision for Barella’s free cross header at the far post.
Faced with the dream scenario, Inter were able to sentence the counter, but Vlachodimos excelled in two point-blank shots from Dumfries and Mkhitaryan. He could not do anything when the VAR revealed some hands from Joao Mario in the area. Lukaku converted the penalty and, in the last action of the match, Onana saved a one-on-one against Ramos that leaves Inter with a foot and a half in the semifinals.
