Inter Milan defeated AC Milan 2-0 at San Siro in a thrilling Milan derby to increase their chances of reaching the UEFA Champions League final.
For the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final round, the two city rivals met at their shared stadium. Edin Dzeko’s eighth-minute goal in front of 80,000 screaming fans gave Inter the perfect start to a match that had been anticipated for weeks in Italy.
The goal silenced the AC Milan fans, who outnumbered the Inter fans because they were the game’s official home team.
Three minutes later, Henrikh Mkhitaryan stunned the visitors once more by beating Mike Maignan with a shot assisted by Federico Dimarco.
Inter almost scored a third goal when Hakan Calhanoglu hit the crossbar.
Following that, Inter had a penalty call overturned by referee Jesus Gil Manzano after VAR confirmed that Lautaro Martinez had dived, giving AC Milan some hope.
Inter slowed down in the second half to protect their two-goal lead, and AC Milan nearly came back when Sandro Tonali’s drive from the edge of the box hit the post.
Inter Milan won the game 2-0 at the end of the night. The second leg will take place on Tuesday, May 16 at 8 p.m. WAT at the same location. Inter only need a draw to advance to the final, where they will face either Manchester City or Real Madrid on June 10.