Inter have reached the Champions League semi-finals for the second time in three seasons following a tense 4-3 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich in the last eight.
Harry Kane scored in Milan as a Bayern side without Jamal Musiala, Manuel Neuer, Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano sought to erase Inter's aggregate lead.
But quickfire goals soon after from Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Pavard proved decisive, handing Inter enough of a buffer that Eric Dier's late header didn't matter.
2-2 was how it finished on the night. Inter held the crucial 2-1 advantage from the first leg, having won in Munich courtesy of a late Davide Frattesi goal and playing the return game at home.
But, knowing the onus was on them to attack and erase the aggregate deficit, Bayern pushed early to go ahead and get back level. Thomas Muller, playing as it turned out his last Champions League game for Die Roten, and Michel Olise both had early sights of goal.
So too did Inter, though, with Jonas Urbig twice denying Marcus Thuram in the opening exchanges. The French striker was inches away from connecting with a flick-on in the box, half an hour in, followed a few minutes later by Hakan Calhanoglu just missing the target.
It was then former Bayern goalkeeper Yann Sommer to deny his old team, saving from Joshua Kimmich and Leroy Sane in the closing stages before half-time. Urbig made a big stop to prevent a deflected cross from creeping in following the interval, before Bayern's attacking persistence paid off with a goal from Kane that tied the aggregate score-line, shooting low and hard inside the box.
But Inter's response was swift and decisive. They restored the lead in the tie, drawing level on the night, only six minutes later, as Martinez lashed in from close-range when a corner wasn't properly dealt with by Bayern. From the tie being even just moments earlier, Inter suddenly held a two-goal cushion when Pavard haunted his old club, heading in a few yards out.
Bayern hit back through Eric Dier, a looping header from a short corner routine, to reduce the aggregate deficit back to a single goal with just under 15 minutes of the 90 to play. But late pressure through six additional minutes of stoppage time couldn't yield another breakthrough.
Inter player ratings vs Bayern Munich (3-5-2)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Yann Sommer | 6.5/10 |
CB: Benjamin Pavard | 7.3/10 |
CB: Francesco Acerbi | 7.1/10 |
CB: Alessandro Bastoni | 6.7/10 |
RM: Matteo Darmian | 7.2/10 |
CM: Nicolo Barella | 6.8/10 |
CM: Hakan Calhanoglu | 7.4/10 |
CM: Henrikh Mkhitaryan | 7.1/10 |
LM: Federico Dimarco | 7.4/10 |
ST: Marcus Thuram | 6.7/10 |
ST: Lautaro Martinez (c) | 8.4/10 |
SUB: Carlos Augusto (73' for Dimarco) | 6.3/10 |
SUB: Mehdi Taremi (81' for Martinez) | N/A |
SUB: Yann Aurel Bisseck (87' for Bastoni) | N/A |
SUB: Davide Frattesi (87' for Barella) | N/A |
Subs not used: Josep Martinez (GK), Raffaele Di Gennaro (GK), Matteo Cocchi, Stefan de Vrij, Kristjan Asllani, Nicola Zalewski, Thomas Berenbruch, Marko Arnautoivc.
Bayern Munich player ratings vs Inter (4-2-3-1)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Jonas Urbig | 6.1/10 |
RB: Konrad Laimer | 6.9/10 |
CB: Eric Dier | 7.9/10 |
CB: Kim Min-jae | 6.0/10 |
LB: Josip Stanisic | 7.0/10 |
CM: Leon Goretzka | 7.0/10 |
CM: Joshua Kimmich | 6.9/10 |
RM: Michael Olise | 7.2/10 |
AM: Thomas Muller (c) | 7.0/10 |
LM: Leroy Sane | 6.5/10 |
ST: Harry Kane | 8.1/10 |
SUB: Raphael Guerreiro (65' for Kim) | 7.0/10 |
SUB: Serge Gnabry (65' for Sane) | 7.5/10 |
SUB: Kingsley Coman (84' for Laimer) | N/A |
SUB: Aleksandar Pavlovic (84' for Goretzka) | N/A |
Subs not used: Daniel Peretz (GK), Leon Klanac (GK), Sacha Boey, Gabriel Vidovic, Joao Palhinha, Lennart Karl, Jonah Kusi-Asare.
Player of the match - Lautaro Martinez (Inter)
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