MILAN: Simone Inzaghi can already see his Inter Milan team in next month’s Champions League final after an impressive 2-0 win over local rivals AC Milan in the last four on Wednesday.

Inter grabbed two early goals through Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan and need to avoid a collapse in the second leg back at the San Siro on Tuesday in order to reach a clash with either Real Mad­rid or Manchester City in Istanbul.

And coach Inzaghi was in confident mood after watching his team dominate the first leg, missing several chances to make the scoreline humiliating for their cross-town rivals.

“We played a brilliant first half, but it’s a tight scoreline for what we did out there,” Inzaghi told reporters. “Then in the second half we managed the game well. Apart from [Sandro] Tonali’s shot [which hit the post] the boys did great in covering the whole pitch.

“It’s a hugely positive night which gives us a lot of satisfaction but we’re missing one more piece to attain a dream that we believed in since August. There are still seven days left. We know we’ve got one more small step to go.”

Milan could have star man Rafael Leao back for Tuesday’s second leg after the Portugal winger missed Wednesday’s match with a thigh injury.

Leao is crucial to Milan’s attack and his absence made Inter’s job that much easier, but Inzaghi isn’t worried about the 23-year-old’s potential return next week.

“We have played loads of derbies with Leao playing and without him playing,” said Inzaghi. “He’s a great player who is very important for them but it won’t change our plan for the match.”

Milan manager Stefano Pioli remained optimistic despite the dispiriting loss which he put down to their opponents’ clinical finishing.

“The reality is that Inter performed better in the first half, scoring two goals, while Milan showed improvement in the second half but failed to find the net,” Pioli told Amazon Prime Italia.

The loss to Inter was Milan’s third defeat by their neighbours in a single season, something they have not experienced since the 1994-95 campaign.

Milan secured a 3-2 win over Inter in Serie A in September before suffering back-to-back defeats, 3-0 in the Italian Super Cup and 1-0 in Serie A.

Pioli, however, praised his team’s resilience as they bid to stay on course to win the European Cup for the eighth time, 16 years after their last triumph in 2007.

“We had the chances in the second half so naturally, in the second leg, we need more quality and a more aggressive attitude,” he said.

“I know my players, I know we can do better... next week’s match will be psychologically very difficult for both teams because we have the chance to reach the final,” Pioli told reporters.

“We have the chance to score some goals, put them under pressure and set right what’s happened. It’s difficult, it won’t be a walk in the park. It will be difficult but we have to believe because football has taught us that you can overcome all sorts of obstacles.”

FAST START

The biggest Milan derby of a generation saw Inter beat their neighbours for the first time in a Euro­pean knockout tie, with Milan progressing from both previous meetings, most recently in the 2004-05 Champions League quarter-finals.

Inter made a fast start, scoring after eight and 11 minutes, with Dzeko smashing in a close-range volley before Mkhitaryan doubled the lead from Federico Dimarco’s cross to stun their city rivals at the San Siro.

Milan were shell-shocked and although they improved in the second half, they rarely threatened a comeback and face an uphill task to stay on course to win their eighth European Cup.

“Right from the first minute we had a great desire to win,” player of the match Mkhitaryan told Prime Video. “But it’s not over yet. A great battle awaits us.”

Bosnian striker Dzeko, 37, became the second oldest player to score in a Champions League semi-final after Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs.

“Sometimes you get in this difficult moment where the ball doesn’t want to go in,” Dzeko told Prime Video after his third goal since January.

“I was calm knowing the goals would come as always,” Dzeko said.

Inter could have won by a wider margin as Hakan Calhanoglu smashed a shot off the post and Dzeko wasted a great chance early in the second half, but they are still heavy favourites to reach the final of Europe’s top club competition for the first time since they last won it 13 years ago.

Milan have their work cut out if they want to have a chance at being crowned European champions for the eighth time.

“We conceded two quick goals, and against Inter that’s difficult to come back from,” Milan def­ender Fikayo Tomori told Prime Video. “We’re disappointed, we could have done better, especially at the beginning, but we need to believe if we’re going to reach the final.”

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2023