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AC Milan 0-2 Inter Milan: Inter wins the derby to put one foot in the final

AC Milan were stunned by city rival Inter Milan with an early onslaught to emerge from the first leg of their Champions League semi-final with a 2-0 lead.

It was 2-0 within 11 minutes; Edin Dzeko opened the scoring with a fine volley at a corner, before Henrikh Mkhitaryan was afforded too much space and able to saunter into the box then power a shot past Mike Maignan.

It could have been even worse for AC Milan as Maignan was beaten by a Hakan Calhanoglu drive five minutes later, but the ball came back off the post, plus Inter had a first-half penalty taken away by a VAR review.

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AC Milan were better in the second half but badly missed the injured Rafael Leao and could not find a goal.

Sandro Tonali came closest when he struck the post, but there was no onslaught from the ‘home’ team and Andre Onana only had to make one save in the Inter goal – a routine one at that.

In truth a third Inter goal felt more likely and Dzeko almost provided it, but was denied by Maignan who dove at the striker’s feet to thwart a one-on-one.

AC Milan will have to play an awful lot better in six days’ time to stand any chance of advancing to play Real Madrid or Manchester City in the final.

Meanwhile, Inter have won each of the last three meetings between these clubs, with the aggregate score 6-0.

AC Milan’s Tomori disappointed

“We’re obviously disappointed. Just the way we started the game, conceding two early goals like that. The first one from a corner and then straight after. It’s difficult when it’s 0-0 but to go two goals down in the first 15 minutes is a kick in the teeth.

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“It took us a while to get back in the game. There was a bit of anxiety in the team. In a game like this you can’t do that.

“It’s only the first game. We can’t let our heads drop. We know if we play with the right intensity if we had got the last pass or last shot with just a bit more determination or anger, then we could have scored.

“We’re disappointed but we can’t dwell on it. We have to move onto the next game.”

Edin Dzeko pleased with the result

“It feels very good, especially because it’s a derby. We played away on paper. It’s a great result for us.

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“Sometimes you get in this difficult moment where the ball doesn’t want to go in. Patience and work always pays off. I was calm knowing the goals would come as always. Today is the proof.

“I don’t think so that they’ll get carried away because we’re an experienced team. We know what we’ve done today. We have got a great result but nothing is yet finished. In the Champions League only great teams arrive in the semi-finals so we have to be careful and concentrate like today.”

Man of the Match- Edin Dzeko (Inter Milan)

His goal – an excellent volley while holding off and outfoxing Davide Calabria – set the tone for a domineering Inter performance which had a whiff of men against boys.

Player ratings

AC Milan: Maignan 7, Calabria 5, Kjaer 5, Tomori 5, Hernandez 4, Tonali 5, Krunic 4, Bennacer 5, Saelemaekers 4, Diaz 4, Giroud 4. Subs: Messias 5, Thiaw 5, Origi 5, Pobega 6, Kalulu 5.

Inter Milan: Onana 6, Dunfries 6, Darmian 7, Acerbi 6, Bastoni 7, Dimarco 8, Barella 7, Calhanoglu 7, Mkhitaryan 7, Martinez 6, Dzeko 8. Subs: Brozovic 6, Lukaku 6, de Vrij 6, Correa 6, Gagliardini 6.

Alfred Saiki
Alfred Saiki
A passionate sports journalist and administrator. I want to see the world.