Milan: Italian giants Inter set up a Champions League semifinal against city rivals AC Milan as they saw off the challenge of Portuguese club Benfica in an eventful quarterfinal second leg at San Siro.
Inter were held to a 3-3 draw by a fighting Benfica but they had done enough in the first leg to advance 5-3 on aggregate.
Inter led 2-0 from the first leg and extended that lead inside a quarter of an hour thanks to a fine strike from Nicolò Barella, who drove forward, exchanged passes with Lautaro Martínez and then curled in with his weaker left foot.
Martínez had a goal disallowed as Inter looked to press home their advantage, but Benfica drew level on the night when Fredrik Aursnes rose superbly to head in Rafa Silva’s right-wing cross.
David Neres was introduced at the break by the visitors and they started the second half brightly, but just before the midway point of the half, the home side got the crucial third goal of the evening when Martínez blasted in Federico Dimarco’s low pass across the box.
Inter substitute Joaquín Correa then got in on the action when he collected Dimarco’s pass and cut inside before finishing well via the far post.
But the drama was far from over as António Silva headed in to reduce Benfica’s arrears before Petar Musa fired in through a crowd of bodies to prevent his side from suffering a fourth successive loss in all competitions.
–IANS