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The first round of the Derby della Madonnina, a Milan clash that was witnessed at the San Siro stadium, between Inter Milan and Ac Milan, for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final, left another historic mark in the world of football.
Inter Milan will be heading to the second leg of the tie with a two-goal lead after humbling their fierce rivals in the first round. Inter took command of the game within 11 minutes as Dzeko and Mkhitaryan gave them an upper hand.
Read: THUMPING EDIN DZEKO HEADER GIVES INTER MILAN LATE WIN AGAINST VENEZIA TO STAY TOP OF TABLE
In a first half that left Milan shell-shocked, Inter dominated from start to finish. An expertly guided volley from Edin Dzeko opened the scoring in the eighth minute, swiftly followed by a sucker-punch second from Henrikh Mkhitaryan just three minutes later.
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Inter could have led by a greater margin had VAR not controversially overturned an on-field penalty decision for a foul by Simon Kjaer on the excellent Lautaro Martinez despite there looking to be clear contact on the forward.
AC Milan improved after the break – they could not have played any worse – but only a Sandro Tonali effort that clipped the post truly tested a confident and assured Inter, who always carried a threat on the break.
However, the hosts had suffered a big blow even before kick-off when Rafael Leao was ruled out after failing to recover from a thigh injury – and his influence was missed, with Inter full of intent and punch during a devastating first-half performance.
What Inter Milan Said.
Inter manager Simone Inzaghi spoke to Amazon after the match: “I am very satisfied. We had an extraordinary first half. We could have scored more than two goals, but it was a great match.
We are ahead, now there will be the return leg at home with our fans. We know that we still have to make a huge effort before we start dreaming.
The lads played with their hearts and heads, covering every part of the pitch. Even those who came on as sub-contributed.
“It feels very good, especially because it’s a derby. We played away on paper. It’s a great result for us. Sometimes you get into this difficult moment where the ball doesn’t want to go in. Patience and work always pay off. I was calm knowing the goals would come as always. Today is the proof.”
Inter striker Edin Dzeko, scored the opening goal against Milan after netting for the first time since January 18 at the weekend
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“It’s not finished, it will be another battle (in the second leg). It would have been good to score more goals, if we had the chance to do so, but we still have to be happy with these two goals.” Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the scorer of Inter’s second goal.
The two Italian giants will be back at the San Siro stadium, where Inter will be hosting Ac Milan for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
