It was a nightmare start for AC Milan in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan. After weeks of hype, AC Milan trailed 2-0 inside 11 minutes. This was not the plan for the ‘home’ supporters, who had unfurled a giant display of a devil’s face with the words: “Hell is empty, all the devils are here!” Inter fans were delighted thanks to goals from Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Former AC Milan goalkeeper Asmir Begovic said at half-time that it was an “absolute disaster” that they could not have imagined. However, AC Milan were handed a lifeline they didn’t deserve after a host of missed Inter Milan chances and a controversial VAR decision.
The atmosphere was intimidating with a wall of noise, red smoke flares and large banners. Inter came out swinging and raced into a two-goal lead, hitting the woodwork through Hakan Calhanoglu as AC Milan were left exposed. Inter even had a first-half penalty awarded to them for a foul on Lautaro Martinez before the decision was overturned following a VAR review. Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi said it was a “tight scoreline” for what they had done.
The big decision came in the 31st minute when Inter were awarded a penalty as Martinez went down inside the box following a Simon Kjaer challenge. But when referee Jesus Gil Manzano was urged to check the pitchside monitor by VAR, the decision was overturned as Manzano did not feel there was enough contact from Kjaer. BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Pat Nevin said Martinez had “absolutely tried to con the referee” while former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said technically the penalty should have stood.
Inter Milan put their faith in experience and it paid off as 37-year-old Dzeko got the opener after eight minutes before 34-year-old Mkhitaryan got the second. It was the first time two players aged 34 or above have scored for a team in a Champions League knockout match. Begovic praised Dzeko as a “world-class player” with hold-up play, technique and dedication to the game.
Only one team in Champions League semi-final history have won the first leg by two or more goals and not reached the final – Barcelona, who lost a 3-0 lead against Liverpool in 2018-19. Despite Inter’s two-goal advantage, they know their place in the final is not booked yet.
AC Milan’s nightmare start to their Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan saw them trail 2-0 inside 11 minutes. Inter fans were delighted thanks to goals from Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, while AC Milan were handed a lifeline they didn’t deserve after a host of missed Inter chances and a controversial VAR decision. The big decision came in the 31st minute when Inter were awarded a penalty as Martinez went down inside the box following a Simon Kjaer challenge, but it was overturned as Manzano did not feel there was enough contact from Kjaer. Inter put their faith in experience and it paid off as 37-year-old Dzeko got the opener after eight minutes before 34-year-old Mkhitaryan got the second. Despite their two-goal advantage, Inter know their place in the final is not booked yet.