We know that talking about justice in the world of football is a risky exercise, but the truth is that Inter Milan’s triumph against Atlético de Madrid (1-0), in a game counting for the first leg of the round of 16 -final of the Champions League, seems to fit perfectly with what was seen at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium.
The team led by Simone Inzaghi was clearly superior, created more opportunities and only failed to achieve a better result because it was extremely ineffective.
Atlético, on the other hand, has the merit of, despite having been ineffective in approaching the opponent’s area, managing to take the tie open to the second leg.
A difficult knot to untie
Even though expectations were high, the first minutes of the game were disappointing. The two teams presented themselves in a very similar way (3-5-2) on the field and ended up fitting in well, in a scenario that did not contribute to the spectacle. Samuel Lino, with a cross shot that went wide, created the first opportunity of the game, and until the 30th minute the scoring opportunities were practically zero.
@Getty /
From then on, motivated by public support, Inter Milan grew in the match. Furthermore, up to half-time there were four occasions for the Nerazzurriwith Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram in evidence.
Despite this, the goal did not appear and the Frenchman injured even in a move in which he tried to bother Oblak with a shot at goal.
Waste until you get it right
Inzaghi then called Arnautovic into the game, in a decision that would prove to be the right one. However, the road until this premise came to fruition was long and somewhat painful. Do you doubt it, dear reader?
In the 49th minute, the Austrian international was masterfully served by Dimarco at the far post, but he couldn’t do better than shoot over. Shortly afterwards, two great opportunities for the number 8: first with a header wide after a cross from Barella; then, with a huge waste following an excellent combination with Lautaro Martínez.
The fans’ patience with Arnautovic seemed to be running out, as some whistles were heard when he touched the ball after all these misses, but everything changed in the 79th minute. The distance between being a villain and a hero in the world of football is short and, after taking advantage of an incomplete save by Oblak from a shot by Lautaro, the Austrian opened the scoring with a left-footed shotthus driving the fans present in the venue to delirium.
Until the final whistle, Atlético tried to increase their lines and insist a little more, but the best they managed to do was a shot wide by Samuel Lino.
With this result, the Milanese have an advantage for the second leg, even though the tie is still open.
2024-02-20 22:28:00
#him.. #zerozero.pt
