Internazionale set up a Champions League semi-final derby with Milan, edging Benfica 5-3 on aggregate after a thrilling 3-3 draw in the second leg at San Siro.
The Italian side carried over a 2-0 lead from the first leg in Lisbon and that result proved critical as Benfica fought hard, scoring twice in the closing minutes to battle back from 3-1 down on the night.
Nicolò Barella, Lautaro Martínez and the substitute Joaquín Correa all hit the target for Inter, with Fredrik Aursnes levelling in the first half before Antonio Silva and Petar Musa completed a fine but futile comeback.
Simone Inzaghi’s men now face a tantalising clash against their city rivals in the last four next month, with a place in the Istanbul final up for grabs. “It will be a special derby,” Martínez told Amazon Prime Video.
“We all know what this game means, to play a Milan derby in the Champions League semi-finals,” he added. “Happiness is the word, I’m so proud to represent this crest and this great club which is back to where it belongs.”
Benfica started brightly, with Inter happy to wait for opportunities to open up on the counter-attack, but it was a moment of quality from Barella that drew first blood. Having opened the scoring in the first leg, the midfielder repeated the trick with a lovely curling finish into the corner.
Edin Dzeko played his part, winning possession to put Benfica under pressure, before Martínez and Barella dovetailed smartly as they worked their way into the penalty area. Barella’s left-footed strike capped the move in style to give his side a three-goal buffer. Benfica could have gone two behind as Alessandro Bastoni and Dzeko both missed presentable headed chances.
André Onana sprang into action in the Inter goal to deny Chiquinho from long range and again from a corner, but Benfica found a foothold in the 38th minute to go in at half-time level on the night. The Norwegian midfielder Aursnes was the scorer, nipping in front of Denzel Dumfries to meet a fine cross from Rafa Silva and nod the ball home.
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Benfica came out at a good tempo after the break but once again found their wings clipped as Inter regained the lead in the 65th minute. Henrikh Mkhitaryan did well to find a pocket of space in the final third, Federico Dimarco whipped in the cross and Martínez delivered the first-time finish.
Correa stretched the advantage moments after stepping off the bench, bending one past Odysseas Vlachodimos to seemingly put the game to bed. Benfica refused to allow the tie to drift to a conclusion, however, partially muting the celebrations in the stands.
Antonio Silva made it 3-2 when he headed home Alex Grimaldo’s delivery in the 86th minute before Musa completed the scoring deep in added time. He was the first to react to a deflection in the box, turning and firing past Onana as the Portuguese Liga leaders bowed out of Europe with their fighting spirit intact.
