A year ago, Inter Milan were the big surprise in the full Champions League edition. No one expected Simone Inzaghi's team to reach the final of the competition, to be defeated by Manchester City, which certainly needed a little luck with the goal scored by Rodri to beat Milan. But this season the situation is different and Inter is dealing with it As one of my favorites.
However, the group stage for Inzaghi's team was not great, because the club's European vice-champions only qualified for the knockout stage in second place behind Real Sociedad. However, in the 1/8 finals, last year's finalist faced a very difficult opponent. We are talking about Atletico Madrid, which is not an easy or comfortable opponent for anyone. diego simeone team, Like no other, she can kill matches and knock the football out of her opponents' heads.
Tactical chess in the first half
However, despite this, Inter had to be treated as favorites in the first match and the entire home and away match. Inzaghi's side hosted Atletico Madrid for the first time and it was essential to make some progress in this match before departing for the Spanish capital. Los Colchoneros in their stadium is completely different. They are clearly a better team and it can be seen in all possible statistics related to the away or home match.
The first half of this theoretically successful match in the Champions League 1/8 finals was extremely disappointing for every ordinary fan. Simeone, as usual, prepared his team so as not to concede any goal. This was the primary goal and was achieved in this part of the meeting. Inter had many more or less good chances to score a goal, but none of them were 100% successful. impact? Two shots on goal and no goals. This was not what the fans in the stands expected. It is also worth noting that Inter claimed a penalty kick for Molina's handball and it may have been a valid complaint, as the ball struck Molina's hand.
The ineffective hero of Inter Milan – Marko Arnautović
The second half started with different formations. From the Inter side, Marcus Thuram left the field and was replaced by Marko Arnautovic. In turn, at Atlético, José María Giménez was replaced and Stefan Savic took his place. The Austrian, who entered the field for Inter in the first twenty minutes, could, and perhaps should, have been the hero for the home team. The ball was definitely looking for him more than Thuram in the first half.
After just 20 minutes, the Austrian hit three shots from very comfortable positions. However, none of them found their way to the goal. According to the statisticians' analysis, with these three shots put together, Aranotovic should have already scored at least one goal, because their playerThe overall expected goals coefficient was 0.99. However, the scoreboard was still 0-0, although it was certainly a different 0-0 than it had been in the first half.
Lautaro Martinez also had a very good opportunity in the 77th minute of the match. The Argentine headed the ball perfectly, but his shot was blocked by goalkeeper Jan Oblak without any problems. A moment later, Atletico Madrid committed a grave error in passing the ball. Martinez rushed the ball towards the goal. The team captain shot the ball towards Oblak, but the ball deflected sideways, and Arnautovic was finally waiting for it. The Austrian did nothing wrong in this situation and took advantage The fourth clear chance of the match.
In the end, the 1-0 scoreline for Inter was certainly deserved, although it seemed like it should have been much higher. However, the most important thing for the finalists of last year's edition is just that They will go to Madrid with the lead, and Atletico will have to attack.
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