Milan is no stranger to drama, or to big nights in the Champions League for that matter. But games like Tuesday’s semifinal second leg — Internazionale vs. A.C. Milan at San Siro — make it hard to be a neutral. So choose a side and settle in. Here’s what you should know.
How It’s Going
No score after half an hour but Milan, facing no tomorrow, definitely started on the front foot. Inter, surely expecting that early pressure, has now survived it and settled in.
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Best chance so far? Milan’s Rafael Leão bullied a defender on the left side, spun a second to get to the end line and sliced a low shot under Inter goalkeeper André Onana at the near post in the 37th minute. The shot, alas for Milan, curled outside the right post.
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Inter responded immediately, with a free kick that was redirected by Edin Dzeko that hit Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan. It’ll go down as a save but he really didn’t have much say in it. He was lucky the header hit him. Still scoreless.
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The game hasn’t lacked for rough fouls, which shouldn’t be a surprise given the rivalry and the immense stakes. The French referee, Clément Turpin, is doing his best to stay out of it and keep the temperature under control. For now.
How to Watch
Inter vs. A.C. Milan is being broadcast by CBS (English) in some markets and Univision (Spanish) in the United States, and streamed on Paramount Plus. Watching someplace else? A full list of UEFA broadcast partners is here.
Inter-Milan Preview: Pressure Point
Like a group of naughty schoolchildren, A.C. Milan’s players stood with their heads bowed and their gazes fixed as they took in to what the club’s ultras — its most ardent, most organized fans — had to say. Standing among them, a case study in active listening, their manager Stefano Pioli nodded his head in agreement and understanding.
The ultras, Pioli revealed later, had simply wanted to “spur and stimulate” the team after a bitterly dispiriting week. Milan had lost twice in the space of four days: first, most damaging, to city rival Inter in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal; and then, salt in the wound, to 18th-place Spezia in Serie A.
Pioli has to be taken at his word, but from the outside it did not have the air of an especially inspiring encounter. Milan’s players looked stricken, somber, when they were summoned over to meet the fans after that game against Spezia. They did not give the impression that they appreciated being reminded of their responsibilities.
They have enough pressure ahead of the second leg, after all. First and foremost, of course, there is a place in the Champions League final at stake. Local pride is on the line, too: The specter of being eliminated by its housemate is a harrowing one. And then, thanks to that defeat at Spezia — which left Milan fifth in Serie A — there is the prospect of this being the club’s last appearance in the Champions League for at least a year.
The contrast with the mood at Inter is stark. Simone Inzaghi’s Inter side has spent much of the season sputtering and stuttering but appears to have found its rhythm at the last minute. Inter has lost only once since the start of April, and it has won its last seven games in a row, a streak that included victories over Juventus, Lazio, Roma and Milan.
At San Siro last week — a game that was technically Milan’s home leg — Inter seized control early and then held strong, restricting Milan to only sporadic menace after two early goals had secured what looks like an unassailable advantage. Inter has the more experienced, the more grizzled team; for the return, it will also be able to call on 70,000 or so fans.
No matter how stimulating Milan found that chat with its ultras, it is hard to avoid the suspicion that talk — ultimately — will not be enough.
The Lineups: No Lukaku, but Leão Starts
Inter sticks with the lineup that delivered a victory in the first leg, a decision that leaves no room for Romelu Lukaku.
The big news for Milan is that it has restored a fit Rafael Leão to its starting XI.
The First Leg in Highlights
To be fair, you only need to watch the first 30 seconds to see both of the goals that have Inter in the driver’s seat. But the really fun part is the club-produced commentary.
Inter, naturally, loved it:
Extended highlights (with English commentary) is here.
What’s Next?
The Inter-Milan winner qualifies for the Champions League final, which will be June 10 in Istanbul. Each team will be happy to be back after what has been (for them) an interminable absence.
Inter last appeared in the final in 2010, when a José Mourinho-coached team beat Bayern Munich, 2-0, at the Bernabéu in Madrid. Milan last played in the final in 2007; it won its seventh, and most recent, title that night, 2-1 against Liverpool.
