Despite the San Siro being predominantly filled with Nerazzurri shirts, it was Milan who got off to the better start. Theo Hernandez came agonisingly close with an audacious strike but Brahim Diaz didn’t show enough conviction to beat Andre Onana after brilliant work from Sandro Tonali as Stefano Pioli’s side pursued the goal they so desperately needed.
Inter stood firm against the Rossoneri blitz and started to threaten with their own forays forward, although Henrikh Mkhitaryan fired over from Edin Dzeko’s cutback.
With the two teams going toe-to-toe, Rafael Leao came tantalisingly close to marking his return from injury with the most vital of goals as the winger raced behind Matteo Darmian but eventually dragged his shot agonisingly wide, before Dzeko’s header brought an incredible save out of Mike Maignan and Lautaro Martinez soon struck off target.
Even though their two-goal lead was intact, the Nerazzurri were still dealt a blow before the break, as Mkhitaryan was forced off injured.
It surprisingly took until the 56th minute for Clement Turpin to hand out his first booking of the night, doing so when Malick Thiaw cynically halted Martinez as Inter emerged from the restart strongly.
In a city revered for fashion, it was Inter’s grit and organisation that kept Milan out, giving Martinez the platform to smash a shot past Maignan’s outstretched hand to put Inter ahead on the night and take the tie out of sight for Milan.
Emotions ran high after that moment, as Inter booked their tickets to the UCL final in Istanbul with their ninth match unbeaten across all competitions.
While the Nerazzurri wait to see whether they will face Manchester City or Real Madrid in June, Milan will be praying that they can still find a way into Europe’s primary club competition for next season after winning one of their last five and sitting four points behind the fourth and final qualification spot in Serie A as a result.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
