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Inter's Lautaro Martinez scored the winner on the night, but Milan will feel they could have done better after missing vital chances
Inter reached their first UEFA Champions League final since winning the competition in 2010 after dumping neighbours AC Milan out of the semifinal in a 3-0 aggregate win.
The Red side of Milan have themselves to blame for the European exit after failing to take clear chances that came their way to turn the tie around in the first half.
In the end, a solitary goal from Inter’s Lautaro Martinez midway through the second half was enough to give the Nerazzurri a 1-0 win on the night and send them to the 2022/23 UCL final to face either Real Madrid or Manchester City.
How it happened
Both teams started with cautious approaches despite Inter’s 2-0 lead from the first leg, but as the game went on, the Rossoneri showed more attacking intent and should have taken the lead with the game’s two best chances.
Milan’s biggest chance of the game came early in the first half when Real Madrid loanee Brahim Diaz nearly took advantage of a brilliant pass by Sandro Tonali but was denied by the outstretched hand of Inter’s Andre Onana.
Rafael Leao had Milan’s next big chance to start a fightback in the first half, but the Portuguese forward was unable to bury the opportunity created again by Tonali.
With neither side getting on the scoresheet in a cagey first half, Inter took a 2-0 aggregate lead into the break.
The start of the second half saw an equally tight affair as both teams fought to assert their dominance.
With Milan failing to take their chances in the opening 45 minutes, Inter put the tie beyond doubt when Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez combined to devastating effect to make it 1-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate.
Martinez took advantage of a superb Lukaku pass to score at Mike Maignan’s near post to end any real hopes of a comeback.
Martinez had a late chance to make an identical scoreline from the first leg, but forced Maignan to make a brilliant save after an audacious chip from the World Cup winner.
Inter held on to the win until full-time to record wins over the two legs in a convincing display to send them to the Champions League final for the first time in 13 years.
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