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Post by Webster on Mar 8, 2023 19:41:22 GMT
(BBC Sport) Scott Parker says he is "not sure" he will still be Club Bruges boss following Tuesday's thrashing at Benfica that eliminated the Belgians from the Champions League. The former Bournemouth and Fulham manager faced a difficult task to overturn a 2-0 loss from the first leg. But he perhaps could not have anticipated such a heavy defeat as they conceded five goals in Portugal for a 7-1 defeat on aggregate. Parker becomes the first English manager to concede five goals in a Champions League match and, with Club Bruges having won just two games since his appointment at the end of December, he accepts his future is out of his hands. Asked if he will still be manager for Sunday's league game against Standard Liege, he told BT Sport: "I am not sure. I am not in control of that. I understand why you are asking me that question and it has probably been aimed at me for some weeks now. I can't really control that. I am not in that position to understand it and you are asking probably the wrong person. What I am is fully committed in trying to turn this around and that is what I will try to do." Parker was sacked by Bournemouth in August following a 9-0 defeat by Liverpool, four games into the season. Benfica, who won the first leg 2-0, opened the scoring in the first half with a smart finish from Rafa Silva. Goncalo Ramos then showed great footwork to make it 4-0 on aggregate, before stabbing home from close range. Joao Mario's penalty and David Neres' finish wrapped up the win before Bjorn Meijer scored a stunning consolation. It is the second successive season Benfica have reached the Champions League quarter-finals, though they have never progressed further and were beaten by Liverpool at that stage last term. "The result hits us hard," said Club Bruges midfielder Hans Vanaken. "The way in which it happened was painful too, because we shipped the goals too easily. I am emotional because we had a great campaign. You don't want to go out like that." Club Bruges rarely looked like turning the tie around, with Benfica even having the ball in the net after two minutes through Joao Mario, but it was ruled out for offside. Despite that early chance, the visitors did well to hold off their opponents for 38 minutes and were starting to look threatening when Silva scored, keeping his cool to control the ball from a cross before slotting in. From then on Club Bruges capitulated as the tie looked beyond them and another fine finish, this time from Portugal forward Ramos, ended the game as a contest. Mario's penalty came either side of clinical finishes by Ramos and Neres, but Meijer did at least give the travelling fans something to cheer with an exquisite first-time finish into the top corner. Since the Champions League was formed, Benfica have lost all five quarter-finals they have played in, but this result and performance will give them hope of taking the next step.
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Post by Webster on Mar 8, 2023 19:42:10 GMT
(BBC Sport) Graham Potter enjoyed his finest night as Chelsea manager as they overcame a first-leg deficit against Borussia Dortmund to reach the Champions League quarter-finals. Potter was under huge pressure after a dismal run of results following Chelsea's huge outlay in the transfer market, but he will hope the manner of this performance and the advance into the latter stages of Europe's elite competition will deliver a measure of calm and stability to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea fully deserved their win, although they squandered several big opportunities before Raheem Sterling made the breakthrough after 43 minutes, firing past Dortmund keeper Alexander Meyer after initially fluffing his shot. The goal which settled the tie and overturned Dortmund's 1-0 advantage from the first leg came in contentious fashion from the penalty spot eight minutes after the break. Dortmund were furious when a VAR review penalised Marius Wolf for handball from Ben Chilwell's cross and their sense of injustice heightened after Kai Havertz struck the post with his spot-kick only for a re-take to be ordered. This time Havertz made no mistake and Chelsea were on their way into the last eight. Speaking after the game, Potter said: "The players were tremendous and the supporters were tremendous. We had to be against a team that were doing so well. Over the two games I felt that we deserved to go through. It was a special night."
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Post by Webster on Mar 15, 2023 5:22:27 GMT
(BBC Sport) Erling Haaland rewrote the record books by scoring an incredible five times as Manchester City swept RB Leipzig aside to reach the Champions League quarter-finals. Haaland becomes the fastest and youngest player to reach 30 goals in Europe's elite club competition. He is also the youngest player to score five times in a single Champions League game, joining Argentina great Lionel Messi and Brazil forward Luiz Adriano as the only players to do so. The 22-year-old is now on 39 goals for the season in all competitions, the first City player to reach that figure in a single campaign. His five hat-tricks are three more than any other player in the big five leagues. On any normal day, Ilkay Gundogan's precise low shot into the bottom corner would have merited praise. On this historic night, which matched City's 7-0 triumph over Schalke in 2019, it was nothing more than a footnote. On this evidence, no-one, not even Real Madrid, will want to be paired with Pep Guardiola's side in Friday's last-eight draw. Legendary former club captain Vincent Kompany can only hope his old club have got this calibre of performance out of their system when he brings his Burnley side to Etihad Stadium in the FA Cup on Saturday. (BBC Sport) Inter Milan moved into the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2011 as they eliminated Porto in their last-16 tie. The Italian side won 1-0 in the first leg at the San Siro and were able to frustrate their opponents in Portugal. In a frantic finish, Mehdi Taremi hit the post and then the crossbar in injury time for Porto, who also had Brazilian winger Pepe sent off. Away goalkeeper Andre Onana also made a number of key saves as Inter held on. Porto, second in the Primeira Liga, were without 40-year-old Portugal defender Pepe, a three-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, while midfielder Otavio was suspended after his red card for two bookable offences in the first leg. The hosts had the best chances in the first half but Onana made a fine save to keep out Mateus Uribe's 25-yard strike. Taremi also curled a shot wide, Evanilson saw his effort blocked by Federico Dimarco's excellent sliding challenge and Stephen Eustaquio was unable to get a touch on an inviting low cross.
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Post by Webster on Mar 16, 2023 19:52:19 GMT
(BBC Sport) Victor Osimhen scored twice as Napoli cruised into the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time with a comfortable win over Eintracht Frankfurt. With Luciano Spalletti's side two goals up from the first leg, the Nigeria striker's thumping header in first-half stoppage time dispelled any lingering nerves at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Osimhen doubled the Italians' lead on the night with a close-range finish from Giovanni di Lorenzo's cross eight minutes after the break and, having been brought down in the box, Piotr Zielinski converted the penalty himself to make it 3-0. "We want to enjoy the moment and look ahead. It's a great win, we re-wrote the history of this club," Osimhen said. "We keep dreaming, we don't have limits. We follow our coach and look ahead." With a commanding 18-point lead at the top of Serie A, Napoli head into the last eight with a real chance to compete for top prize in European football. The build-up to the match had been overshadowed as Eintracht Frankfurt fans clashed with police after arriving in Naples despite being banned from attending the second leg of the last-16 tie. Once the game did start, it was the visitors who had the first effort of note as Rafael Borre headed off target in the 10th minute but from there Napoli took charge. The electric Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was the main threat in the first half, slaloming through the Frankfurt defence in the 19th minute before seeing his effort from a tight angle saved by Kevin Trapp in the visitors' goal. Kvaratskhelia went close again three minutes before the break after another driving run but was again denied by Trapp. The breakthrough came on the stroke of half-time when Matteo Politano dug out a cross from the right and Osimhen powered the header back past the goalkeeper. After the break, with the tie all but settled, Napoli were able to show more of the attacking flair that has brought them such success this season and after good work from Di Lorenzo down the right, Osimhen was waiting to finish as he stretched at the far post. The goal was Napoli's 24th in this season's Champions League, taking them past Benfica as the competition's top scorers and when Djibril Sow upended Zielinski with a clumsy challenge in the box, the Polish midfielder calmly dispatched the 64th-minute spot kick to make it 25. Frankfurt did have the chance to make the game slightly more nervy before the penalty but Daichi Kamada failed to convert from inside the six yard box. As it was, Napoli were able to enjoy the last half hour as they completed the joint-largest aggregate win by an Italian side in the Champions League knockout stages to join Serie A rivals Inter and AC Milan in the quarters. (BBC Sport) Liverpool's Champions League hopes ended at the hands of Real Madrid for a third consecutive season as they failed to overcome their first-leg Anfield demolition. The Reds, who lost the first leg 5-2, lined up with four forwards at the Bernabeu as they looked to add another famous comeback to their fabled European history. But that rarely looked on the cards and legendary Real striker Karim Benzema put the tie beyond doubt when he tucked in from Vinicius Jr's cutback late on. Jurgen Klopp's side would have lost this game by more if not for Alisson. The Reds goalkeeper denied Vinicius and Eduardo Camavinga with magnificent first-half stops. If Darwin Nunez had taken a chance in the sixth minute, then it could have been a different story. Liverpool players walked off to 'You'll Never Walk Alone' on the Bernabeu speakers as they reflected on their biggest ever aggregate Champions League defeat. The Reds were beaten finalists against Real last summer but now face a battle to even be in the tournament next season, sitting six points behind the Champions League places. One downside for Carlo Ancelotti's Real was Benzema hurting himself while scoring and having to be replaced. However afterwards the striker said he will be fine for Sunday's must-win El Clasico with Barcelona.
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Post by Webster on Mar 17, 2023 16:58:22 GMT
(The Guardian) Champions League draw in fullSo, what do we make of that? Both Chelsea and Manchester City face heavyweight opposition in Real Madrid and Bayern (a reunion for Pep there). There appears to be a path open for Napoli’s wonderfully entertaining side – Milan look beatable in the all-Serie A clash and they’ll face Inter or Benfica in the semis. Here it is again:
And, for fixture-order nerds, they now draw out who will be named first in the final. And it’s Real Madrid/Chelsea/Man City/Bayern v Milan/Napoli/Inter/Benfica.
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Post by Webster on Mar 17, 2023 17:04:35 GMT
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Post by Webster on Apr 13, 2023 23:28:44 GMT
(BBC Sport) Romelu Lukaku scored an 82nd-minute penalty as Inter Milan put themselves in a strong position to advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League after a deserved win away to Benfica. Nicolo Barella's downward header gave Inter the lead in the quarter-final first leg in Lisbon. Benfica struggled to dictate play in front of their own fans as Inter produced a defensive masterclass in Lisbon. Rafa Silva was denied by Andre Onana's first-half save before Inter's Netherlands defender Denzel Dumfries produced a crucial block from close range as Benfica pushed for an equaliser. The Italian visitors wrapped up a solid win when substitute Lukaku, on loan from Chelsea, scored from the spot after former Inter player Joao Mario handled. Premier League referee Michael Oliver awarded the penalty after watching the incident on the pitchside monitor, with replays showing the ball struck the side of Mario's head before hitting his hand. Simone Inzaghi's side will fancy their chances of finishing the job in front of their own fans in the return leg on 19 April (20:00 BST). Inter arrived in Portugal's capital on the back of a poor run of form after failing to win any of their past six games. But they took advantage of a hesitant Benfica to take a firm hold of the tie. Barella's goal came after an excellent cross by Alessandro Bastoni, with the Italy midfielder heading it back across the keeper and into the net. It was Inter's first attempt on target but Benfica keeper Odisseas Vlachodimos prevented further damage by saving from former Manchester United and Arsenal player Henrikh Mkhitaryan. This was Benfica's 13th European game of the season after starting their Champions League campaign at the third qualifying round stage back in August. But they did not create enough and face a mammoth task to turn the tie around after Lukaku wrapped up victory. The Belgium forward had missed out on a starting place to 37-year-old Edin Dzeko but made an impact from the spot after beating the keeper for pace and power. There was still time for Benfica to reduce the deficit but Goncalo Ramos' 89th-minute attempt was kept out by Onana on a memorable night for Inter. "We cannot think that we are already in the semi-final because we are not," Onana said. "We still need another great game like today's next week. I said that we had to come here and play without fear because we could win - we did just that."
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Post by Webster on Apr 13, 2023 23:30:14 GMT
(BBC Sport) Manchester City took a giant stride towards the Champions League semi-finals with an outstanding performance to overpower Bayern Munich at Etihad Stadium. Erling Haaland, inevitably, was on target with his 45th goal of the season to make him the highest scorer in all competitions in a single campaign since the Premier League began 30 years ago, surpassing Mohamed Salah and Ruud van Nistelrooy. City, however, gave a powerful all-round team display and Bayern, under new coach Thomas Tuchel, face a mountainous task to turn this quarter-final around in the second leg at the AllianzArena. "Emotionally I'm destroyed," said Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola. "I have aged 10 more years. It was so demanding a game. It was not comfortable. Now I have to relax - a day off for the guys, prepare for Leicester [in the Premier League on Saturday]." Rodri broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion with a curling left-foot drive into the top corner after 27 minutes while Bayern had chances of their own, especially former City forward Leroy Sane, who brought a vital save out of Ederson early in the second half. City were always a threat and extended their lead with 20 minutes left, Haaland crossing perfectly for Bernardo Silva to head home after Jack Grealish stole possession off Dayot Upemecano. Haaland was not to be denied himself and he pounced for City's third six minutes later, getting on the end of John Stones' headed knockdown to sweep a finish past Bayern keeper Yann Sommer. "It was an incredible result but I know a little bit what can happen in Munich," added Guardiola, who managed Bayern Munich from 2013 until 2016, winning three league titles and two domestic doubles. "If you don't perform really well they are able to score one, two, three. I know that, the players know that. It's an incredible result, but we have to do our game with huge, huge personality. If we don't do our game anything can happen. To knock out these teams you have to have two good games, not just one."
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Post by Webster on Apr 13, 2023 23:31:41 GMT
(BBC Sport) Ismael Bennacer's first-half goal gave AC Milan a slender advantage over Napoli in the first leg of their all-Italian Champions League quarter-final. The Algeria midfielder struck home from the edge of the area after Braham Diaz broke superbly on the halfway line. Napoli had Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa sent off in the second half and were well held by an organised Milan. Milan also came close to a second goal when Simon Kjaer's header bounced off the underside of the bar. Napoli, in the Champions League last eight for the first time, were straight out of the traps, demonstrating a belief that comes from being 16 points clear at the top of Serie A. Georgia winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had their best chance of the game in the opening minute after a poor clearance fell at his feet, but his effort from eight yards out was blocked on the line. Napoli, the highest scorers in the competition this season, continued to push, with former Fulham midfielder Anguissa and Piotr Zielinski having efforts tipped over the bar. Milan, who won 4-0 at Napoli 10 days ago in Serie A, weathered the storm and then grew into the game as Portugal winger Rafael Leao broke forward from his own half and slid an effort inches wide of the far post. The 40th-minute winner was sparked by former Manchester City youth product Diaz, who showed great skill to let the ball run and turned to take two Napoli midfielders out of the game. Bennacer, who played once in two years for Arsenal, then met Leao's cut-back with a left-footed finish, which was helped into the roof of the net by the outstretched foot of visiting goalkeeper Alex Meret. Milan's Danish defender Kjaer was extremely unlucky with his powerful first-half stoppage-time header bouncing about a yard from the line after it struck the bar. The second half was scrappy, with chances at a premium, but Anguissa earned two yellow cards in less than four minutes. The first was for pulling down Theo Hernandez as the Frenchman looked to hit Napoli on the counter, before Anguissa caught the Milan left-back again with a high boot in the 74th minute. Napoli will also be without defender Kim Min-jae for the second leg, which takes place next Tuesday, after he was booked for dissent in a frustrating second period. Despite being a man down, though, Napoli almost found a late equaliser but Mike Maignan did superbly to claw Giovanni di Lorenzo's effort behind for a corner. "It is so important to have a positive result," Milan forward Diaz, named man of the match, told BT Sport. "Not conceding a goal was great. We need to play to win next week."
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Post by Webster on Apr 13, 2023 23:32:30 GMT
(BBC Sport) Chelsea have it all to do if they are to advance to the Champions League semi-finals after losing to holders Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Karim Benzema's tap-in - his 90th goal in the competition - gave Real boss Carlo Ancelotti the perfect start against his former club. Real Madrid struggled to add to their lead before Ben Chilwell was shown a straight red card in the 59th minute for fouling Rodrygo as the Brazil forward threatened to go clean through on goal. Chelsea produced a battling performance but Real scored what could be a decisive second goal when substitute Marco Asensio finished well after the visitors were caught out following a short corner. Chelsea carried more of an attacking threat after the tepid performance against Wolves in Frank Lampard's first game back as interim manager, and had chances of their own. Joao Felix forced Thibaut Courtois into a smart save when the game was goalless before the former Chelsea keeper produced a fine diving stop to deny Raheem Sterling an equaliser.
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Post by Webster on Apr 20, 2023 13:54:52 GMT
(BBC Sport) Chelsea's hopes of salvaging success from a season of abject mediocrity were ended ruthlessly by Real Madrid as the holders advanced into the Champions League semi-final at Stamford Bridge. The Blues were always battling against the odds to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first leg in the Bernabeu and their cause was not helped by a familiar failing as a battling performance was undermined by missing a succession of clear chances. N'Golo Kante missed a glorious first-half opening while Marc Cucurella was blocked by former Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois when he looked certain to reduce Real's advantage. The Spanish champions had moments of their own and there are few sides more adept at making opponents pay for wasted opportunities and so it proved. A lightning counter attack led by Vinicius Junior ended with Rodrygo putting the tie to bed with a close-range finish just before the hour. The Brazilian forward then walked in the second after brilliant, unselfish work by Federico Valverde with 10 minutes left. Carlo Ancelotti's quest for an historic fifth win as a coach in this tournament will continue with a semi-final against either Bayern Munich or Manchester City while Chelsea's interim manager Frank Lampard, who now has four defeats from four games, must somehow lift the grim mood of despair around the club. (BBC Sport) AC Milan reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since winning the competition in 2007 as they saw off Serie A rivals Napoli in an incident-packed game. Milan could face Inter Milan in the last four, with their city rivals going into Wednesday's second leg with Benfica holding a 2-0 lead. Serie A champions-elect Napoli dominated early on - but Milan won a penalty with one of their first attacks, although Olivier Giroud's spot-kick was saved by Alex Meret. The veteran Frenchman got the opening goal, though, to make it 2-0 on aggregate when he tapped in following a sensational 70-yard run by Rafael Leao to set him up. Napoli were then gifted a way back into the game when Fikayo Tomori handled in the box, but visiting keeper Mike Maignan saved Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's penalty. They did eventually score, through a Victor Osimhen header with seconds remaining in the match - and there was not enough time to create another chance. Napoli, who are 22 points clear of Milan in the league table, have lost form at a critical time and failed to take a host of opportunities, with 39 efforts across both legs.
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Post by Webster on Apr 20, 2023 13:57:43 GMT
(BBC Sport) Manchester City set up a Champions League semi-final clash with holders Real Madrid as Erling Haaland's goal ended Bayern Munich's hopes of a comeback. Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel felt his side needed a miracle to go through after losing the first leg 3-0 - and they squandered plenty of opportunities to get back into the game. Haaland made them pay as he lashed home a shot into the top corner to cap off a swift counter-attack, 15 seconds after Ederson had saved Kingsley Coman's shot at the other end. That was the Norwegian's 48th goal for City this season. He could have reached that figure earlier in the game but blazed over a penalty after a Dayot Upamecano handball. Just like in the first leg last week, Upamecano - who was also beaten easily for the 57th-minute goal - had a nightmare. The French centre-back was shown a red card early in the game for a professional foul on Haaland, but it was overturned because the City striker was offside. Joshua Kimmich scored an 83rd-minute penalty for Bayern after a harsh handball decision against Manuel Akanji, but the German champions were never going to find three more goals in the last seven minutes. Boss Tuchel was also sent to the stands for two yellow cards in what was a very fractious and fiery encounter at times. There was no doubt City deserved to progress over the two legs and their Treble dream remains alive, with the Premier League and FA Cup other trophy targets this season. Kimmich's spot-kick, though, ended their 10-game winning run in all competitions. (BBC Sport) Inter Milan secured a historic Champions League semi-final with arch-rivals AC Milan despite being held by Benfica at an ecstatic San Siro. Leading 2-0 from the first leg in Lisbon, Inter increased their aggregate lead following Nicolo Barella's sumptuous finish before a bullet header by Fredrik Aursnes gave Benfica hope. Argentina World Cup winner Lautaro Martinez and substitute Joaquin Correa made it 5-1 on aggregate before Benfica scored two late goals through Antonio Silva and Petar Musa. Inter have lost four of their past five games in Serie A to drop out of the Champions League places, but Simone Inzaghi's side can now look forward to two mouth-watering matches against Milan - who knocked out Napoli on Tuesday - for a place in the final. "It will be a special derby," said Martinez. "We all know what this game means, to play a Milan derby in the Champions League semi-finals. Happiness is the word, I'm so proud to represent this crest and this great club which is back to where it belongs." Inzaghi, the first Italian coach to lead Inter to the semi-finals of the European Cup since Eugenio Bersellini in 1980-81, said his team have nothing to fear against Milan. "We deserve this semi-final. It was a dream but now we're here and we'll play it big," he added. Inter looked to be cruising when Italy midfielder Barella made it 3-0 on aggregate after creating space for himself inside the box before producing a wonderful curling finish. But Benfica were not done and Norway midfielder Aursnes kept the tie alive with a powerful header. The damage from the first leg was too much, however, as Martinez prodded home Federico Dimarco's cross before Correa netted two minutes after coming on. To their credit, Benfica kept going and Silva made it 3-2 on the night before substitute Musa equalised deep into stoppage time. However, it was not enough to stop Inter from booking their place in the semi-finals for the first time since 2010 - when they won the competition under Jose Mourinho.
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Post by Webster on May 12, 2023 19:46:00 GMT
(BBC Sport) Kevin de Bruyne's screamer earned Manchester City a Champions League semi-final first-leg draw at Real Madrid to keep their dream of the Treble on track. City know any win next Wednesday at home against Madrid will send them to only their second Champions League final, against either Inter Milan or AC Milan. Pep Guardiola's side dominated the early stages at a nervy Bernabeu, with Thibaut Courtois denying De Bruyne, Rodri and Erling Haaland twice. But Vinicius Jr scored with Real's only chance of the first half, a 25-yard thunderbolt which flew past Ederson following a brilliant run by Eduardo Camavinga. Just as Real began to dominate a period of the second half, City found a way back with De Bruyne fizzing a shot from a similar distance into the bottom corner. Aurelien Tchouameni almost gave Real, looking to extend their record tally to 15 European crowns, the lead again with another strike from range but it was well saved by Ederson. City are now unbeaten in 21 games in all competitions, a run which includes 17 wins. Seven more victories and they get the Treble (winners of league, FA Cup and Champions League titles).
Inter Milan took a big step towards reaching the Champions League final as they beat their city rivals in a thrilling Milan derby at San Siro. In a game that had been anticipated for weeks in Italy and was witnessed at the ground by a vocal and passionate 80,000-strong crowd, Inter made the perfect start when Edin Dzeko volleyed home in the eighth minute. The goal silenced the Milan fans - the designated home side for this tie in the stadium the two sides share - as they significantly outnumbered the Inter supporters. And the hosts were stunned further three minutes later when Henrikh Mkhitaryan swept a shot beyond Mike Maignan after being set up by Federico Dimarco. Hakan Calhanoglu hit the woodwork as Inter threatened to get a third, but there was hope for AC Milan when referee Jesus Gil Manzano reversed a decision to award the visitors a penalty, deeming Lautaro Martinez to have dived after consulting the pitchside monitor. Inter dropped their tempo in the second half as they looked to protect their two-goal advantage and it almost presented AC Milan with a lifeline as Sandro Tonali struck the post with a shot from the edge of the box. But Inter held firm and are in a strong position to reach the final - where they will face either Manchester City or Real Madrid - when the two sides meet again at San Siro for the second leg on Tuesday, 16 May (20:00 BST).
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Post by Webster on May 18, 2023 21:13:00 GMT
(BBC Sport) Inter Milan reached the Champions League final for the first time in 13 years as Lautaro Martinez's goal sealed victory over fierce rivals AC Milan at San Siro. Three-time winners Inter, who led 2-0 after the first leg, will face either Manchester City or Real Madrid in Istanbul on 10 June after a disciplined second-leg display ensured their progress. Heavily backed at a feverish San Siro as the designated home team, Inter were made to absorb early pressure as a determined start by Milan ensured the match began at a frenetic pace. Theo Hernandez fired marginally over with a ferocious strike and Brahim Diaz was denied by Andre Onana as Stefano Pioli's side attempted to undo the damage done by conceding two goals inside 11 minutes last week. The talented Rafael Leao, absent for Milan in the first leg because of a thigh injury, displayed flashes of inspiration on his return but shot agonisingly wide of the far post after driving in from the left. Inter asserted themselves as the first half progressed and the tie would have been effectively over before the interval had it not been for Mike Maignan's stunning reaction save from Edin Dzeko's close-range header. Inter had starved Milan of encouragement in a largely uneventful second half, before Martinez squeezed the ball under Maignan and into the bottom corner with 16 minutes remaining to send the Inter fans into raptures. The full-time whistle was greeted by a deafening noise as Inter's first shot at Champions League glory since their 2010 success was confirmed. (BBC Sport) Manchester City delivered a relentless performance laced with outstanding quality to overpower holders Real Madrid and reach the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul. City have lost two previous semi-finals to Real but they made no mistake here at a joyous Etihad Stadium to now stand one step away from claiming the trophy that has always stayed tantalisingly out of reach for Pep Guardiola's team. And their display in a magical first half, in particular, will live long in the memory as the masters of this tournament were left bewildered by City's brilliance. It maintained a seemingly unstoppable march towards a treble of Champions League, Premier League - which can be won with victory at home to Chelsea on Sunday - and the FA Cup, where they play Manchester United in the final at Wembley. Real keeper Thibaut Courtois performed heroics to save two Erling Haaland headers early in the first half but he was powerless to stop Bernardo Silva's close-range finish after 23 minutes, the Portugal midfielder scoring a looping header for the second eight minutes before half-time. City faced the occasional threats from Real after the break, Ederson saving well from David Alaba and Karim Benzema, but they were no match and when Manuel Akanji's header deflected in off Eder Militao 14 minutes from time the celebrations started. Substitute Julian Alvarez then wrapped up the dominant win with a late strike after latching onto a brilliant Phil Foden pass. City will play Inter on 10 June as they look to win the Champions League for the first time.
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Post by Webster on Jun 13, 2023 20:54:33 GMT
(BBC Sport) Manchester City's long quest to win the Champions League finally ended in triumph against Inter Milan in Istanbul as Pep Guardiola's side completed the Treble. After winning the Premier League and FA Cup, City emulated Manchester United's triple trophy haul in 1999 as they became only the second English club to achieve the feat after Rodri's crisp 68th-minute strike settled an attritional final. Guardiola's all-conquering side were never at their best against a brilliantly organised Inter and had to cope with the loss of Kevin de Bruyne to injury in the first half. But the massed ranks of City fans inside Ataturk Stadium did not care about that as they joyously celebrated the greatest night - and season - in the club's history. And for Guardiola, it seals his status as one of the managerial greats as he added a third Champions League to the two he won at Barcelona, the last coming in 2011. This was never the walkover many predicted and City had to survive a few scares when Federico Dimarco's header bounced off the bar and Ederson made a stunning late save to deny Romelu Lukaku but ultimately this was all about the victory. Now Guardiola and his players can take their place in history.
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