Inter moves into the semifinals and makes the Milan derby perfect

Inter Milan have reached the semi-finals of the Champions League after beating Benfica in the first leg with a goal-rich draw in the second leg. The opponent will then be AC ​​Milan.

Nicolo Barrella (14th minute) gave Inter an early lead at 3: 3 (1: 1) on Wednesday evening (04/19/2023), Fredrik Aursnes (38th) equalized for Lisbon. Lautaro Martinez (65′) and Joaquin Correa (78′) put the Italians in front again in the second half, Antonio Silva (85′) and Petar Musa (90’+5′) equalized late on.

After Inter had already won the first leg 2-0, they made it through to the semi-finals in a sovereign manner. Benfica Lisbon with the German coach Roger Schmidt, on the other hand, has to concentrate on the Portuguese championship fight after being eliminated from the premier class.

Lisbon attacking but falling behind early on

Lisbon had to attack the game in view of the first-leg defeat – and they did. The Portuguese gained a lot of possession early on and pressed up against Milan who were initially low.

With the first offensive action, however, the hosts took the lead. Martinez staged Barella in the penalty area, who adjusted the ball and fired a powerful left-footed shot into the top left corner of the goal.

The guests didn’t react quickly at first, before Aursnes equalized a little out of nowhere. Rafa Silva had crossed from the right, the Norwegian climbed up at the penalty spot and headed in – and thus gave hope to the Lisbon side.

Martinez puts Inter ahead again

However, the guests were unable to put Inter under decisive pressure and create scoring chances. Instead, Inter struck again: after an attack down the left, Federico Dimarco broke into the penalty area and fired into the six-yard box. Martinez was there and pushed in for the opening goal.

A little later, Correa made it 3-1, ending the Portuguese’s last hopes of reaching the semi-finals – although the visitors, who showed good morale, scored two late goals to equalize 3-3.

Milan derby semifinals

Inter meets AC Milan in the semi-finals on 9 and 16 May 2023. In the second semi-final, Real Madrid meets Manchester City, who beat FC Bayern. The Champions League final will take place on June 10, 2023 in Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium.