MILAN: Inter Milan advanced to their first UEFA Champions League semifinal since 2010 following a 3-3 draw against Benfica at the San Siro Stadium in Milan on Thursday, winning the tie by 5-3 on aggregate thanks to a two-goal advantage from the first leg.
Inter took a lead in the 13th minute, with Nicolo Barella striking brilliantly from inside the box, but a header from Fredrik Aursnes helped Benfica level the scores in the 38th minute.
At the end of the half-time, the scoreline read 1-1, with the aggregate in favour of Inter.
Inter solidified their lead, with a goal each from Lautaro Martinez (65th minute) and Joaquin Correa (78th minute).
The scoreline read 3-1 in favour of Inter and with 12 minutes to go, things looked overwhelmingly in favour of them. But Benfica made a comeback into the game with two late goals. Defender Antonio Silva (86th minute) and substitute Petar Musa (90+5) were among the goals and equalled the scoreline 3-3.
But on account of a 2-0 win in the first leg, it was Inter which advanced to the final four.
Inter will be facing AC Milan in the semifinal, with either of them set to become the first Italian side to reach the league final in six years. It is Inter’s first semifinal appearance since they clinched their third title back in 2010.
Milan reached the semis of Europe’s top club competition on Tuesday after drawing 1-1 at Napoli to win their quarter-final 2-1 on aggregate.
Also, star striker Erling Haaland continued to run riot over his opposition, scoring his 48th goal of the season in a 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Thursday, which allowed them to advance to the final four stage of the competition due to a three-goal advantage from the first leg.
City held a strong 3-0 lead from the first leg and was able to storm into the semis after Haaland’s goal in the second half pretty much sealed his side’s spot in the final four for the third year in a row. Despite a goal from Joshua Kimmich in the 83rd minute with a penalty, Munich failed to advance further.
The English side’s chance to secure their maiden Champions League title is very much alive. But they will have to overcome the defending champions and 14-time champions Real Madrid in the semifinal. They were knocked out by the Spanish giants in the semifinal last year.
For Bayern, their disappointing run at the Champions League continues as they bow out at the final eight stage for the third season in a row.
Bayern was visibly hurt by their defeat at the Etihad last week and was determined to play valiantly. They got the game going with confidence and, fueled by the raucous environment, took it to City.
The visitors avoided a larger scare when the former Manchester City winger Leroy Sane raced through on goal but shot wide after Kingsley Coman twice got clear down the right in the first minutes.
Dayot Upamecano’s red card for tripping Haaland as he broke free caused controversy at the other end, but the judgement was reversed after a flag was raised.
The hosts did their utmost to prolong the penalty kick after the Bayern defender handled an Ilkay Gundogan shot in the box to give away a penalty, but Haaland sailed wide.
Bayern had lost hope, but after that miss, they came out hard to complete the first half. Coman shot at Ederson, and Sane, whose earlier free-kick had been saved, missed a long-range shot. Also turned away from close range were Cancelo and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
After the break, Haaland had another chance as Bayern started to tire while trying to win the match, but his shot was straight at Yann Sommer.
The German team came even closer when a Coman shot evaded Ederson’s grasp and bounced across goal, but City cleared and Haaland scored on the third attempt.
As Kevin De Bruyne spearheaded a push, the Bayern defence was again exposed. After gliding past a challenge, the 22-year-old Belgian gently slid in Haaland and finished forcefully to become the youngest player to record 35 goals in the Champions League.
That eliminated any possibility of a tie, but Bayern was not yet finished. Before Kimmich scored from the penalty spot seven minutes from time after Manuel Akanji was harshly punished for handball, Mathys Tel had a goal disallowed for offside.
Thomas Tuchel, the manager of Bayern Munich, had to watch the final seconds from the stands after receiving a red card for losing control of his anger. (ANI)