Inter are back in the Champions League semi finals after a 13-year wait, advancing thanks to a dominant display that demolished Benfica in the quarterfinal second leg. At San Siro, the Nerazzurri showed resolve and precise finishing that left the Portuguese side chasing shadows and fans from Lisbon lighting flares in a chorus of encouragement and tension.
If Benfica believed they carried a glimmer of hope into Milan, they found themselves swept aside in a match marked by clinical counterattacks and sharp buildups. Barella opened the scoring with a decisive team move that cut through Benfica’s defense. In the first minutes, after a strong defensive error by Otamendi, Lautaro Martinez seized the moment, drove forward, and, after a seamless one-two, found the back of the net past Vlachodimos to give Inter the lead.
The visitors finally tested Inter in the 30th minute with a curling free kick from Grimaldo. From that moment, Roger Schmidt’s team tightened the screws, producing a higher tempo and forcing a save from Onana following a clever header from Aursnes, set up by a precise cross from Rafa Silva. Del Cerro Grande then disallowed Lautaro’s effort for a marginal foul, keeping the scoreline intact for the moment.
The second half opened with Benfica pressing higher, showing more intent and creative ideas in possession. They began to threaten more frequently, but the final finish eluded them. Inter hit back on the break and, after a productive collision between Dimarco and Mkhitaryan on the left, the ball found Lautaro who delivered again to extend the lead to 2-1, a goal that seemed to seal Benfica’s fate and tilt the tie in Inter’s favour.
There was still time for more drama. Correa added a diagonal strike to push the lead to 3-1, signaling a potential late victory for the Italian side. Eight minutes later, Antonio Silva rose to head home for Benfica, narrowing the deficit to 3-2, and Musa followed with a late goal to restore some pride and keep the aggregate scoreline tight. Inter, though, held firm as thirteen years of waiting for a European night at this stage of the competition finally reached its end in their favor.
Data sheet:
3 – Inter: Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni (D’Ambrosio, m. 80); Dumfries, Barella (Calhanoglu, m.76), Brozovic, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (Gosens, m.80); Lautaro (Correa, art.76) and Dzeko (Lukaku, art.76)
3 – Benfica: Vlachodimos; Gilberto (Neres, m.46), Antonio Silva, Otamendi, Grimaldo; Chiquinho (Neves, m.80), Florentino; Joao Mario (Schjelderup, m.89), Rafa Silva (Moses, m.80), Aursnes; Gonzalo Ramos (Guedes, art.74)
Goals: 1-0, art.14: Barella; 1-1, art.38: Aursnes; 2-1, m.65: Lautaro; 3-1, art.78: Arch; 3-2, art.86: Antonio Silva; 3-3, m.95: Musa.
Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande (ESP). Rafa Silva (m.27) and Musa (m.81) from Benfica were shown yellow cards; Neres (m.96) received a yellow for Benfica as well.
The second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals was staged at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium (San Siro) in Milan, Italy.