Inter Milan advanced to the UEFA Champions League final with a 1-0 second-leg victory (3-0 on aggregate) over city and stadium rivals AC Milan at San Siro on Tuesday.
On June 10, Inter Milan will appear in the club’s first European final since their famous victory over Barcelona in 2010, when Jose Mourinho’s underdogs upset favorites Bayern Munich.
Simone Inzaghi’s side held a comfortable 2-0 advantage after after Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan each scored inside the first 11 minutes of the first leg, and they held last season’s Serie A champions to just five shots on the night in the second leg.
It took nearly 75 minutes, but eventually Inter Milan broke through to swell their aggregate advantage to 3-0. Romelu Lukaku recovered the ball inside the penalty area with a defender draped over him, so he slipped a short pass to Lautaro Martinez to his left. Martinez wasted no time in shifting the ball to his left foot and firing a low laser between goalkeeper Mike Maignan and the near post.
Inter Milan beat AC Milan 2-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal as two early goals stunned hosts AC and Inter could have won by more.
However, Milan did improve in the second half as Sandro Tonali hit the post but they have plenty of work to do in the second leg on Tuesday, May 16 to overturn a 2-0 deficit.
The way Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko and Henrik Mkhitaryan dragged AC Milan’s defense all over the place was a joy to watch. The clever runs, the patience, the speed and the sheer efficiency with which they demolished Milan’s usually solid back four was frightening. In the first half it seemed like Inter would score every single time they came forward (they almost did) as Calhanoglu, Barella, Dumfries and Dimarco surged forward from midfield and wide areas as a unit in devastating fashion. In fact, the only real positive from this first leg for AC Milan is that they are only 2-0 down. The fact Inter also had Romelu Lukaku to come off the bench to cause further havoc underlined the extra firepower they have as Milan missed the injured Rafael Leao badly. There will have to be an early Milan goal in the second leg to make things interesting because from what we saw in the first leg, Inter will create plenty more chances and there is little Milan can do to stop them. On this showing both Real Madrid and Manchester City will be very wary if they do face Inter in the final in Istanbul on June 10.
Stars of the show; AC Milan vs Inter Milan player ratings
Lautaro Martinez: The captain led by example and his movement was incredible. It created so many gaps in the Milan defense.
Edin Dzeko: Brilliant volley for his goal and could have had another in the second half. Showed all of his experience.
Henrik Mkhitaryan: Another Inter attacker who showed off his big-game experience. Lovely calm finish for his goal and went close to scoring another.
AC Milan head to Spezia on Saturday, May 13. Inter host Sassuolo on the same day before they host AC Milan in the second leg of this Champions League semifinal on Tuesday, May 16.
How to watch AC Milan vs Inter Milan live, stream link and start time
FULL TIME: AC Milan 0-2 Inter Milan – After that flurry of early goals Inter were in dreamland and AC never really recovered. Inter should have probably won by more than two goals but they will be very happy with this result. AC sort of froze. Their fans didn’t as they created an incredible atmosphere. Let’s see what Inter’s fans, and the two teams, deliver next Tuesday…
AC Milan doing their best to push for a goal late on but at the moment, as weird as this sounds, it seems like both teams are happy with the 2-0 scoreline. AC know if they open up and let in a third then it is surely game over.
Wow. Substitute Romelu Lukaku does superbly and his cross eventually falls to Darmian and his shot is deflected wide.
The noise coming from inside this famous football cathedral is quite something. The AC Milan fans are doing their best to inspire their team.
POST! Much better from AC Milan as substitute Divock Origi finds Diaz, who finds Giroud and he sets up Sandro Tonali who smashes a low shot off the post and out. Agonizingly close for the home side.
30 minutes to go and things have settled down a little again. Aside from a giant firework just going off in the stands as the fans ramp up the atmosphere once again.
SAVE! What a stop from Mike Maignan. Inter defender Bastoni found himself way up the pitch and set up Dzeko but his shot was smothered by Maignan and the ball loops up and out for a corner.
Two chances in quick succession for AC Milan as first Brahim Diaz curls wide, then Tonali sets up Junior Messias but he curls wide too. That has got the home crowd going again.
We are back underway in the second half and AC Milan have come out with more purpose. They are pushing higher up the pitch and putting Inter under pressure.
HALF TIME: AC Milan 0-2 Inter Milan – An incredible start to the game from Inter as Dzeko and Mkhitaryan both struck inside the first 11 minutes to stun the home fans. They could have had more too! AC Milan looked nervous and slow in their build-up play and Inter were so dangerous and incisive whenever they came forward. Big 45 coming up for AC Milan.
Three more chances for Inter as Dimarco, Martinez and Dumfries go close. What are AC Milan doing!? Every time Inter come forward it looks like they are going to score.
DRAMA! A penalty kick was initially awarded as Lautaro Martinez beat Simon Kjaer inside the box and he goes down under a push from Kjaer and potentially a clip from Fikayo Tomori who fell over. VAR asks the referee to use the monitor and he overturns his original decision. No penalty kick is given. Probably the right call.
AC Milan have settled down a little now but they are struggling to control the tempo. 30 minutes in, Inter are in a great position.
Inter went 2-0 up after just 11 minutes. Ruthless from Simone Inzaghi’s side. Stefano Pioli looks absolutely stunned. As does every AC Milan player and fan. To rub further salt into their wounds, Ismael Bennacer has been forced off through injury.
POST! Hakan Calhanoglu smashes a brilliant effort from distance which hits the post and then Mkhitaryan almost scores on the rebound. Inter are absolutely flying and could be 3-0 up inside the first 15 minutes.
GOALLL! AC Milan 0-2 Inter Milan – Dimarco, Barella, Martinez and Calhanoglu all involved to set up Henrikh Mkhitaryan to finish. What a start from Inter! Their 7,000 fans in the away section go bonkers.
🔥 2 goals in less than 3 minutes for Inter Milan! Henrikh Mkhitaryan calmly slots home after a wonderful move from Inter. Wow.
GOALLL! AC Milan 0-1 Inter Milan – What a finish from Edin Dzeko. A corner is whipped in and the veteran striker holds off Calabria and hammers home a beautiful volley. Wow. The home fans are stunned. They did not expect that.
🔥 What an INCREDIBLE finish from Edin Dzeko!
The 37-year-old delivers a huge early goal for Inter against AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League semifinal 1st leg.
KICK OFF! The San Siro is looking magnificent and we are underway. What an occasion this is.
The atmosphere is bouncing in Milan ahead of a huge derby! What an occasion this is. From their famous kits to their star players and incredible history, these are two massive clubs and it is great to see both Milan sides back in a Champions League semifinal.
Key storylines & star players
Pioli has one big injury issue to solve as Rafael Leao is out and that could deal Milan’s hopes of reaching the Champions League final a big blow. That said, Olivier Giroud has been clutch throughout the tournament and Brahim Diaz has also been excellent in the attacking midfield role with Sandro Tonali the perfect tempo-setter in midfield.
Inter have a wealth of attacking options firing on all cylinders at the perfect time. Martinez, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Edin Dzeko are their main options, while Romelu Lukaku will be a great option off the bench, and that means Inzaghi can set them up to play very different styles. Inter have impressed throughout this tournament and Barcelona will tell you just how tough this Inter side are to play against.
Christian Pulisic has been linked with a swap deal as he could be heading to Napoli with Victor Osimhen heading to Chelsea, while Juventus are reportedly interested.
Per the initial report, Pulisic has been offered to Napoli as part of a deal to sign the leading goalscorer in Serie A, Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian forward led Napoli to their first league title in 33 years and club president Aurelio de Laurentiis has since said Osimhen is not for sale.
But Chelsea are pushing hard to make Osimhen the focal point of their attack as Todd Boehly and Co. continue to spend money like it is going out of fashion, while Pulisic and other Chelsea players will likely be offered up as part of deals to revamp the Blues squad once again.
Pulisic, 24, is clearly ready to move on from Chelsea and he has just one year left on his current contract at the west London club so a transfer fee of $20-25 million is a reasonable valuation.
In recent weeks he hasn’t even featured off the bench (he last played almost one month ago) and now seems like the right time for everyone to move on.
Pulisic clearly has options in Italy as he’s been linked with Juventus, AC Milan and now Napoli and when you think about his technical ability and pace, a move to Serie A would perhaps allow him to use his best assets more often than in the Premier League. Napoli would be a great fit for Pulisic given their style of play and Luciano Spaletti has helped winger Khvica Kvaratskhelia flourish this season. But would he, like Hirving Lozano, play every week?
Injuries haven’t helped Pulisic over the last four seasons but he just never seemed like a good fit for Chelsea and so many managerial changes has also curtailed his development. Wherever he goes next he has to be the main man and play week in, week out.
What type of club should he be looking for?
A Champions League club. That is clear. Chelsea won’t be in the Champions League next season and although they are clearly going to spend big to get back there soon, Pulisic needs to be playing for a team in the Champions League to remain at the very top of his game.
He could remain in the Premier League and go to a team fighting for European qualification and a top six spot but is that really what he wants?
Pulisic has shown his class in the Champions League over the years and he is clearly capable of being a star player on a team pushing for the latter stages of the competition.
Whether it is in Italy, Spain or even heading back to Germany, Christian Pulisic needs to move to a team playing in the Champions League and, most importantly, he needs to go somewhere where he will play every week. At this stage of his career that is imperative.
According to a report in Marca, a source close to Christian Pulisic has said that AC Milan want to sign the American winger and they will open talks with Chelsea this week.
Pulisic, 24, is out injured for at least another month and after Chelsea signed Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix and Noni Madueke so far in January, they have loaded up on new attacking midfielders and wingers.
Pulisic’s time at Stamford Bridge appears to be up as he has just 18 months left on his current contract and per the report, Milan want to sign Ruben Loftus-Cheek as well as Pulisic.
This move to Milan seems like it would be a very good one for Pulisic.
They are the reigning Italian champs, have the likes of Olivier Giroud, Sergino Dest and Fikayo Tomori in their squad who know Pulisic well, and he will get regular minutes in a team which competes in the UEFA Champions League.
On top of that, Serie A will suit his playing style better than the Premier League. He just hasn’t been able to handle the physical nature and relentless pace in England’s top-flight.
He’s had his moments but there’s a reason why most of his best moments have come in the Champions League during his time in west London.
This is a very good option for Pulisic to move to another top team in Europe and he will be able to play regularly, compete for trophies and be a superstar.
The Coppa Italia quarterfinal round has seen USMNT star Weston McKennie pick up an assist as Juventus continues its upward climb with a cup match against Monza (although the visitors did level before halftime).
It’s a brilliant cross from Juventus right wingback — as if the Yanks needed more options at that spot — as Kean makes it look oh-so-easy by nodding it home to give The Old Lady a 1-0 lead.
McKennie is back at full fitness, going 90 minutes twice in six days last week, and now has his first goal contribution since he scored against Empoli and Benfica in consecutive matches on Oct. 21 and 25.
A report earlier this week said that McKennie had turned down a move to Aston Villa in the hopes of finding a home with a current European competitor like Tottenham, Chelsea, or Borussia Dortmund. That report said Max Allegri will not have much time for McKennie once Paul Pogba returns from injury (short-sighted given the injury history around Turin, but we digress).
McKennie, 24, now has 95 appearances with 13 goals and five assists during his time at Juventus, and that’s four more matches than he played coming up at Schalke. Time flies (and appearances accumulate faster for clubs in European tournaments).
Where do you want to see McKennie next? The USMNT has 41 caps at a tender age and whoever’s coaching the USMNT will want to see him playing as much as growing in the near future.
WESTON MCKENNIE FINDS MOISE KEAN. 💥
Juventus waste no time taking the lead over Monza with a ticket to the Coppa Italia quarterfinals on the line. 👀 pic.twitter.com/52MEPBPW7N
