Quarterfinal victory over Bayern keeps Inter's treble dream alive

MILAN — Inter Milan's treble dream is alive and kicking after reaching the semifinals of the Champions League on Wednesday thanks to 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich, as the Serie A giant won a pulsating last-eight tie 4-3 on aggregate.

Italian champion Inter will face Barcelona in the semis, after two goals in the space of three minutes, from captain Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Pavard, canceled out a Harry Kane strike for Bayern which leveled the tie in the 52nd minute.

Eric Dier's looping header in the 76th minute earned Bayern a draw on a soaking and blustery night in Milan, but it wasn't enough for Vincent Kompany's side to continue its bid to be crowned king of Europe for a seventh time.

Simone Inzaghi's side came through in awful conditions at the San Siro, where a combination of heavy rain and driving winds affected both teams' ability to play their best soccer, but added uncertainty and tension to an already highly-charged occasion.

"We don't give up, we have personality and heart and intelligence. We were definitely on the back foot at times today, but we showed again that we can do great things," Martinez told Amazon Prime.

Inter is still on for a repeat of the Serie A, Champions League and Italian Cup treble won under Jose Mourinho in 2010, as it is also three points ahead of Napoli in Italy's top flight and faces AC Milan in the semifinals of the domestic cup.

Wednesday's win showed that Inter is more than capable of reaching the final of Europe's elite club competition, as it did two years ago when it was narrowly beaten by Manchester City.

"We think about winning everything at the start of every season, because, if we don't, then we shouldn't play this sport. That's our mentality," added Martinez.

Bayern had won all three of its previous Champions League away matches at Inter, but after Pavard crashed home his first goal for the club in the 61st minute, there was no way back for the injury-hit Bundesliga leader, as the chance to contest the Champions League final in Munich slipped through its grasp.

"When you look at how the two games went, we wouldn't have wished for a lot different, except the goals we conceded," said Kompany.

"That's football, that's life."

'No limits'

Inter will also benefit from playing the second leg of its semifinal showdown with Barca, which it beat in the semifinals on its way to victory in Madrid 15 years ago, at the San Siro on May 6.

The host didn't come alive until its fans, who had been sitting and standing in silence for the first 20 minutes in protest at ticket prices, burst loudly into song.

By that time the wind had picked up so much that one Inter cross almost swung back out of the penalty box, but even with the wind in its faces the host was on the up.

Marcus Thuram just failed to get a touch on Francesco Acerbi's scuffed finish in the 29th minute, and moments later Hakan Calhanoglu crashed a powerful shot just wide of the upright.

Bayern reacted, and pushed Inter back into its own area for the final minutes of the opening half, but a combination of the conditions, desperate defending and poor finishing kept the match scoreless at the break.

Inter started the second half the stronger, but Kane leveled the tie with a brilliantly taken goal, shifting onto his right and drilling a low angled shot through Federico Dimarco's legs and past keeper Yann Sommer.

Just moments earlier, Kane had the rookie Bayern goalkeeper, 21-year-old Jonas Urbig, to thank for stopping him scoring an own goal. In the 58th minute, Martinez re-established Inter's advantage, when he controlled Dimarco's corner and lashed home.

Pavard decided the tie three minutes later with a bullet header against his former club from another corner, sending the San Siro wild with delight.

"We're not putting any limits on how far we can go. We have a great squad with really good players and a great staff," said Pavard. "There's no limit, we want to win, and we want to go through."

Thomas Muller said that he and his Bayern teammates were disappointed to not contest the final at their home stadium in Munich, after the Germans failed to beat Inter at the San Siro for the first time.

"I gave everything, we gave everything. We played against the best team in Italy, who have only conceded two goals in the Champions League before facing us," Muller told DAZN.

"I saw players who fought on the pitch and showed a lot of energy...The fans saw that we gave everything. It's a pity for us, because the final was in Munich, but the Champions League is not a picnic."

AFP