Inter to face rivals Milan in semi-final
Despite being held by Benfica in a jubilant San Siro, Inter Milan secured a historic Champions League semifinal matchup with archrival AC Milan.
Following Nicolo Barella’s exquisite finish, Inter improved their aggregate lead after taking a 2-0 lead from the first leg in Lisbon, but Fredrik Aursnes’ thunderous header gave Benfica hope.
Before Benfica scored two late goals through Antonio Silva and Petar Musa, Argentina’s World Cup champion Lautaro Martinez and substitute Joaquin Correa made it 5-1 overall.
Inter has dropped out of the Champions League spots after losing four of their last five Serie A games, but Simone Inzaghi’s team can now look forward to two tantalizing matchups versus Milan, who eliminated Napoli on Tuesday, for a spot in the championship game.
When Italy midfielder Barella made it 3-0 overall after making space for himself inside the box and delivering a beautiful curling strike, the hosts appeared to be coasting.
However, Benfica would not quit, and with a strong header, Norway midfielder Aursnes preserved the stalemate.
Martinez pushed Federico Dimarco’s cross into the net, but the damage from the first leg was too great, as Correa scored two minutes after coming on.
To their credit, Benfica persevered; Silva made it 3-2 on the evening before replacement Musa tied the score in the final seconds.
But it was insufficient to prevent Inter from securing their spot in the semi-finals for the first time since 2010, when they won the competition under Jose Mourinho.
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