This time it's party timeInter. The Nerazzurri also won the second leg and avenged the Euro-derby of 2003 and 2005, but above all they reached the Champions League final, where they will find a between Manchester City e Real Madrid. On 10 June, in Istanbul, the Nerazzurri will compete for the title of European champions: an almost unspeakable dream at the start of the season, which instead became reality along the way, especially in the two-legged confrontation with Milan. The Rossoneri return home with a heart full of bitterness, but also with a good dose of regret: the first leg's approach cries out for revenge, as do a couple of wasted chances yesterday that could really have reopened the games.
Inter – Milan 1-0, Lautaro Martinez takes the Nerazzurri to the Champions League final
In fact, the match, unlike that of a week ago, lived on the edge of balance, even if it is fair to reiterate that only one of the two teams had the obligation to score. The other, or Inter, had a two-goal lead, which allowed them to play it out with great serenity, as well as with the awareness that a goal would have practically closed everything. Il Diavolo, fielded by Pioli with a very offensive 4-2-3-1 (Messias, Diaz and Leao in the frontline, Giroud in attack), tried to reopen the contest right from the start, wasting two sensational opportunities with Diaz (11') and Leao (38'): the first, in particular, cries out for revenge, given that it was a wrong goal (the Spaniard could have done much better), while the second can be categorized in the folder of "bad luck". However, it must be said that Inter did not stand by and actually created a couple of very dangerous situations with Barella and Dzeko, in which Maignan literally outdid himself.
In short, the first half was open and fun, unlike the second half which saw Milan fade away and the Nerazzurri gain confidence minute by minute, thanks to a stopwatch that ran inexorably in their favour. In the 74th minute, however, Lautaro, on cue from the newly entered Lukaku, took the chair by finding the 1-0 left-footed shot, thus starting the party for the hosts: at that point, in fact, the Inter fans abandoned (at reason, of course) every superstition, exploding in a riot of choirs and flags typical of great occasions. The much reviled Inzaghi flies to the Champions League final, where the most important title that exists against either Manchester City or Real Madrid will be played, while Pioli returns home sadly, albeit with the pride of someone who played in a totally unexpected semi-final.
Zhang celebrates: “Lukaku told me in July, I thought he was joking. City or Real? Whoever it is, we'll fight."
“Every season is special, but if at the beginning of this one they had told me that we would have reached the Champions League final I would have had a hard time believing it – the words of the president Steven Zhang -. At the beginning of the season Lukaku told me, I thought he was joking but, game after game, we started to believe it. This club has a winning tradition, when we bought the club seven years ago we knew how important it was, the project has always been to fight to win. Who would I like in the final? Real Madrid and Manchester City are equally strong: we will have to commit ourselves and fight head-on, whoever we meet."
Inzaghi rejoices: "Proud of these guys: the final was a dream, now it's reality"
“In the next few days we will better understand what we have done for us initially it was a dream, but we've always believed in it and we've made an extraordinary journey – exulted the Nerazzurri coach -. There is a lot of satisfaction and we have to congratulate these guys, I'm proud of everything they put on the pitch: running, determination, aggression, concentration... They did great, we won four derbies against the Italian champions, I'm happy for them, it's only fair enjoy evenings like this. The final? We don't make any promises, we know that our opponent will be one of the best teams in Europe, I will certainly watch their semi-final with a lot of interest. The criticisms? I know who has always been there and who wasn't there in times of need, I know what has happened in recent months, but I am lucky enough to have a wonderful staff who have followed me through and through during this period, now it is right that we enjoy an evening like this all together”.
Pioli bitter: "My parents gave their all, but Inter deserved it"
“It's a big disappointment, let's face it – admitted Pioli -. We've made a great journey in the Champions League yes, also thinking about what we did last year, but we wanted to get to the final because that counts. The bitterness is there, we conditioned this semifinal with the first 15 minutes of the first leg, otherwise we were up to a very strong team. We had two chances to unlock it, I can't blame my players for anything: we tried with everything we had, but we weren't able to be dangerous, both for Inter's compactness and for a pace and precision that should have been better. We tried, but we weren't so precise and clear-headed, Inter scored in the first few situations, we weren't able to do the same thing. Reaching the final would have been exceptional for our career, but they deserved it: it's a more complicated season than we thought, but it has taught us a lot".
Cardinale and Maldini in chorus: "Well done Inter, there was no match, but our journey is not over"
"On behalf of Milan I want to congratulate the whole Inter team and their fans for two well-played matches, we wish them all the best for the final in Istanbul" commented Gerry Cardinale, while Maldini entered the detail, emphasizing the merits of the adversaries, but also the path of his own. “The gap with Inter is real, in the last four games there hasn't been a match – underlined the Rossoneri manager -. Today was played a little better, but the first leg had already compromised everything. However, our journey is not over, we have a duty to try and qualify in the top four, and then wait for what happens to Juventus. Getting to the semifinals was a great thing, even unexpected. Of course if you meet Inter it burns and makes the path seem less beautiful than it was, but we have to be lucid, good and honest: we have reached this point unexpectedly”.
