Key events
Full-time: Internazionale 1-0 Milan (3-0 agg)
Internazionale are into the Champions League final! Very well deserved over the two legs.
90 min: Three more minutes of this. Inter’s fans are doing the ‘olés’.
89 min: “While I doubt that either Ancelotti or Guardiola will take a Champions League final for granted, Inter’s danger is widely underestimated”, emails Kári Tulinius. “They have such a varied array of attackers, that even if Inzaghi doesn’t get the frontline right from the get-go, he can radically change his team’s offence. And they’re unlikely to ship a bucketload of goals.”
I will say that Inter are unorthodox, and have quality in the right areas. But I can’t see them beating Real or City. But that’s why we love football, there are lots of different ways to win. The same just isn’t true for so many other sports.
87 min: The game is petering out. Onana is picking his toenails in the Inter goal. Milan’s subs have offered no change to a turgid second-half display.
85 min: Milan fans, would you want to sign Brahim Diaz on a permanent deal?
83 min: “One more fact that shows how the Italian school of football is anything but dead,” emails Giovanni Cafagna. Three out of four managers in the CL semi finals are Italians (plus the manager of the European champions). It can be argued as much as you like that Italian teams have not been successful in CL for a long while but Italian football is not about the teams, it’s about the managers and the philosophy and tactical knowledge and the winning mentality they are able to impose on teams made of international players.”
80 min: Inter make further changes. Martinez is withdrawn to a thunderous clamour, with Correa coming on in his place. That’s clever again from Inzaghi, who can’t afford to lose the booked Martinez to a suspension in the final. Gagliardini also comes on for Barella, who was also cautioned.
78 min: Krunic, who has been chasing shadows all night, is booked for a poor challenge on Calhanoglu in midfield. Some handbags ensue, with (I think) Tomori and Martinez also receiving yellow cards.
Saelemaekers comes on for Messias, and Origi – the eternal sub – replaces Diaz.
76 min: Martinez nearly makes it 2-0 on the night! He is again given too much space, this time on the edge of Milan’s box, and the Argentinian tries an audacious lob – a la Totti against Inter in 2005 – but Maignan is just tall enough to palm it behind. An inch or two away from being a spectacular goal.
GOAL! Internazionale 1-0 Milan (Martinez 73, 3-0 agg)
That’s the killer blow, surely! Martinez plays a one-two with Lukaku in Milan’s penalty box, gets goalside of Kalulu, and fires his shot low, hard and true past Maignan at his near post. Awful defending from Milan, who let Inter’s strikers take far too many touches, and also not the best goalkeeping. Maignan has kept Milan alive in this tie, but he’ll be disappointed with that. Inter’s fans, meanwhile … well you know the rest.
72 min: An email from Tim Smith.
“I have been waiting for Milan’s Messias to go scything through someone in midfield, picking up a yellow card, just so we can all say: “He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy.” Has to happen.”
70 min: This is pretty uninspiring stuff. Diaz is too deep. Neither Messias or Leao are offering much out wide, and so Calabria and Hernandez are throwing hopeful balls towards Giroud, who is swamped by the three Inter centre backs.
67 min: Leao is having no joy on the left flank, so switches to the right. He stands up Acerbi, but the Portuguese’s cross is blocked, with the ball bouncing back off him for an Inter goal kick. The home fans cheer it like a goal.
65 min: Inter respond with a couple of changes of their own. Lukaku comes on for Dzeko, and Gosens replaces Dimarco. Good changes from Inzaghi, I think.
63 min: Thiaw comes off. The Milan man was on a yellow, so seems like a sensible decision. On comes Kalulu.
61 min: Thiaw looks like he’s pulled up with cramp, with Kjaer and Kalulu primed. But the German looks like he’s going to continue. A break in play, and Inter’s fans are celebrating in the stands like they have already won. Milan have offered very nothing in this second half.
59 min: I can’t imagine Pep Guardiola or Carlo Ancelotti watching this and quaking in their slippers.
57 min: The game is spluttering along. No fluency here, with plenty of fouls. Inter will be very happy, as things stand.
54 min: Our first booking of the second leg, and it’s been coming. Thiaw is booking for hauling Martinez down on the half-way line, after a neat turn from the Inter striker. Martinez is bullying the Milan back four, by the way. He’s winning every 50-50, chasing every ball. A menace.
52 min: Play stops for an off-the-ball incident. Replays show Acerbi clearly stamping on the toes of Calabria as the players wait for a cross to come in. It’s deliberate, pre-meditated and a certain yellow card, but VAR fails to intervene! How utterly bizarre. Acerbi gets away with one.
51 min: Inter win a free-kick. Calhanoglu throwing himself to the turf after the faintest of shoves from Messias. It’s a bit embarrassing.
49 min: Brahim Diaz just can’t get a kick.
47 min: One of Milan’s many problems here is that they don’t have a strong bench to change things if we get to the hour mark without a goal. De Ketelaere has not impressed since his big move from Club Brugge, while Saelemaekers has flickered with talent, but not shown a consistent end product. Inter, meanwhile, have already brought Brozovic off the bench, and have Lukaku, Gosens and Correa to call on, among others.
Peeeeeeeeeeep! And we’re off again for the second half.
Meanwhile, Luton are 45 minutes away from reaching the Championship playoff final at Wembley. They have gone 2-0 up against Sunderland in the second leg to lead the tie 3-2.
Half-time reading:
Half-time: Internazionale 0-0 Milan (2-0 agg)
A good half of football.
47 min: Inter seem content to see the half out, and look comfortable in their compact defensive shape. Milan’s best idea seems to be hopeful balls towards Giroud, in the hope that they pick up the scraps. Hmmm.
45 min: Three minutes added on here. Both teams are going to ground far too easily, trying to con the referee. It doesn’t make for pleasant viewing.
43 min: Mkhitaryan is going to have to come off. The Inter man has picked up a knock and is replaced by Brozovic. Not a bad replacement to have. Some might even say an upgrade, although Mkhitaryan played very well in the first leg, getting that second goal.
42 min: Some nice detail from Ian Darke, BT Sport commentator. Dimarco was in the Inter crowd 20 years ago to watch the Champions League semi-final between these two.
