Inter Milan have reached the final of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2010 after victory over fierce city rivals AC Milan on Tuesday night.
ALSO READ: UCL: De Bruyne’s screamer earns Manchester City draw at Real Madrid
Lautaro Martinez’s 74th-minute strike was all it took to hand the Nerazzurri a 3-0 aggregate win, having won 2-0 in the first leg.
Inter will now face Real Madrid or Manchester City in Istanbul on June 10 in the final.
Simone Inzaghi’s men 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 Andre Onana denied Brahim Diaz as Stefano Pioli’s side attempted to undo the damage done by conceding two goals inside 11 minutes last week.
ALSO READ: UCL: Man City knock out Bayern, Inter set up derby clash in semi-final
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.
They 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.
ALSO READ: EPL: Curtis Jones shines for Liverpool as Leicester remain in relegation waters
The full-time whistle was greeted by a deafening noise as Inter’s first shot at European glory since their 2010 success was confirmed.
