Inter Milan are in the final of the 2022/23 Champions League thanks to a 3-0 aggregate win over bitter rivals AC Milan.
Lautaro Martinez scored the only goal of the second leg, with 15 minutes left to play, denting any hopes Milan might have had at a late comeback though they wouldn’t have deserved it. But the real damage was done in the first leg last week.
Inter now wait to see who they will face, with Manchester City and Real Madrid facing off in the other semi-final on Wednesday.
Here’s how the players rated at the San Siro:
Inter Milan
Andre Onana – 7 – The less busy of the two goalkeepers but he still had to produce an excellent save on Diaz in the first half when the Spaniard should have scored following a good move.
André Onana’s career record against Milan:
◉ 4 games
◉ 4 wins
◉ 0 defeats
◉ 0 goals concededThe cleanest sheets in Milan. ? pic.twitter.com/6leNa1fUY6
— Squawka (@Squawka) May 16, 2023
Matteo Darmian – 7 – Was the man in the right place with a good defensive header to clear a ball from the six-yard box when Tonali was challenging to head into an open net
Francesco Acerbi – 7 – Defended the box pretty well but was beaten by Leao’s footwork far too easily for a first-half chance. Had a naughty stamp on Tonali’s foot off the ball that wasn’t punished further than a free-kick.
Alessandro Bastoni – 7 – Did the job he was required to do helping keep Giroud quiet.
Denzel Dumfries – 7 – Got forward a lot clearly fancying his chances up against Theo Hernandez and it was a good battle, though he didn’t really produce enough attacking threat.
Nicolo Barella – 8 – Marshalled the midfield well, helping Inter to control the game, barely giving his Milan counterparts a kick especially in the second half.
Hakan Calhanoglu – 8 – In the first half he sat deep as the playmaker, looking to spread play and start things up for Inter. Moved further forward following Brozovic’s introduction to take over from Mkhitaryan as the highest-placed midfielder, also lurking around the Milan box.
Hakan Çalhanoglu's game by numbers vs Milan:
68 touches (Inter most)
40 passes completed (Inter most)
14x possession won (most)
9 duels won (most)
8 final third entries (Inter most)
6 crosses (most)
2 take-ons completed (joint-most)
2 chances createdAt the heart of it all. ? pic.twitter.com/gNvjTgW7nE
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Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6 – The main pressing man of the Inter midfield, Mkhitaryan was often seen alongside the strikers to try and put pressure on the Milan defence. Also got involved in front of his own box but did lose a battle vs Tonali in the build up to a good Diaz chance. Taken off just before half time with injury.
Federico Dimarco – 7 – Defended really well against Messias, but would’ve liked to have got higher up the pitch than he did.
Lautaro Martinez – 8 – Showed good footwork a couple of times in sticky situations and on the edge of the Milan box and looked to test Maignan. Got his head onto a Calhanoglu free-kick that could’ve given Inter a 3-0 lead but he was stopped by Maignan – though it did get an extra touch on the way. Did beat Maignan with just over 15 minutes left to play, securing Inter’s place in the Champions League final.
Edin Dzeko – 7 – Playing the target man role, he wasn’t supposed to be the main goalscoring threat, instead dropping to try and hold up the ball. Credited with the shot which forced Maignan into a brilliant save as he got a slight flick onto Martinez’s initial header.
Substitutes:
Marcelo Brozovic (for Mkhitaryan 44) – 7 – Helped to control the midfield after coming on just before half time, allowing Calhanoglu to move further forward.
Romelu Lukaku (for Dzeko 66) – 7 – So calm when he and Gosens went for the same ball, picking out Martinez who opened the scoring on the night.
Robin Gosens (for Dimarco 66) – 6 – Looked decent after coming on.
Joaquin Correa (for Martinez 85) – N/A – A late sub.
Roberto Gagliardini (for Barella 85) – N/A – A late sub.
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AC Milan
Mike Maignan – 7 – Produced a good save on Barella early on though it was offside anyway. Made an even better save later in the half, to deny what was a Dzeko flick from a Martinez header from close range, readjusting his hands quickly to push it away. Beaten at his near post by Martinez and he will have wanted to do better for that.
Davide Calabria – 3 – Just wasn’t good enough for Milan on the right, giving Dimarco no opposition as he got forward. A poor showing from Milan’s captain.
Malick Thiaw – 7 – Looked quite comfortable in defence, not letting the occasion phase him especially after coming in ahead of Simon Kjaer. Stopped what would’ve been a certain goal with a good block on Dumfries’ cross, preventing the back-post tap-in.
FT: Inter 1-0 Milan
xG: 0.52-0.09
Shots: 8-1
Shots on target: 3-0
Possession: 42.1%-57.9%
Corners: 1-1Inter are through to the #UCL final. ?
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Fikayo Tomori – 6 – Was such a weird game for Tomori who appeared to struggle with the physicality of Dzeko and Martinez, giving away a couple of clumsy fouls, but also helped stop a handful of Inter attacks.
Theo Hernandez – 5 – Defending against Dumfries, it was a test for Hernandez and though the Dutchman didn’t hurt the Milan defence as much as he would’ve liked, this still feels like a battle Hernandez lost. Wasn’t too far away with a rocket effort from long range early on, though.
Rade Krunic – 6 – Dropped deep to try starting moves alongside the centre-backs and looked good among his teammates. The struggles were not his fault.
Sandro Tonali – 7 – Probably Milan’s best outfield player on the night. Pushed forward a lot, especially in the first half, and should have had an assist after a marvellous run up to set up Diaz but the Spaniard’s shot was poor. Less involved in the second half but it was still a good performance.
Junior Messias – 3 – Ineffective down Milan’s right, giving them very little threat alongside Calabria.
Brahim Diaz – 5 – Really should have given Milan an early lead on the night, but his shot was poor, lacking power and placement following Tonali’s good run. Didn’t have much on an influence after.
Rafael Leao – 5 – You can tell he’s only just returned from injury as this wasn’t the Leao fans have grown to love, but there were still a couple of good moments. Flashed a shot just past the post having left Acerbi in the dust in the first half for one of Milan’s best chances.
Olivier Giroud – 4 – Had fewer touches than any other Milan started and managed just one shot, which didn’t test Onana at all. Milan needed a lot more from him.
Substitutes:
Pierre Kalulu (for Thiaw 64) – 4 – Caught ball watching for the Martinez goal, unaware of the Argentinian.
Alexis Saelemaekers (for Messias 77) – 4 – Did not make an impact after coming on, though the tie was already up by then.
Divock Origi (for Diaz 77) – 4 – One rating point for every touch he had, as Milan failed to get him into the game even though they should’ve been desparate to get the ball to him.