Match report
We will have a match report coming up, but that’s all from me tonight. Thank you for reading, emailing, and all that jazz – and congratulations to Italy on guaranteeing a finalist in this season’s Champions League. Will it be Milan or Inter? There’s only one way to find out …
Good night.
A touch of Europa League news here:
Michael Owen, on BT Sport, correctly points out that the penalty shout for the challenge by Martinez on Aursnes in the first half was actually a clear penalty. (Aursnes’s standing foot is clearly knocked heavily as he is shaping to shoot.)
Sorry to be boring and all that, but what’s the point of VAR if these things keep getting missed?
Updated
In the WSL, Manchester United beat Arsenal 1-0, and worryingly for England Leah Williamson was injured:
Match report! (From Munich):
Everyone else is posting this famous photo from 2005, so why can’t I?
#Iconic
Updated
Treat yourself to a social media graphic, courtesy of Inter.
INTO THE SEMIS!!! 🙌#ForzaInter #UCL #InterBenfica pic.twitter.com/shIMp2T1di
— Inter (@Inter_en) April 19, 2023
The Champions League semi-final lineup is as follows:
Real Madrid v Manchester City
Milan v Inter
(City are just rounding off their win against Bayern now.)
Updated
Full time! Inter 3-3 Benfica (5-3 agg)
Well, that scoreline certainly makes it look more exciting than it was.
Goal! 90 min + 5: Inter 3-3 Benfica (5-3 agg) (Musa)
Benfica go home with a creditable draw, Musa drilling in a low finish to gain parity on the night. A shame they didn’t exert so much pressure earlier in the night, in a way.
Updated
90 min + 2: We can see you sneaking out. On commentary McManaman tells us loads of Inter fans are heading for the exits.
90 min: We will have four minutes added, minimum. So that means Benfica can afford one minute without scoring a goal, if they are going to take this further.
88 min: Schjelderup comes on for Benfica for the final couple of minutes, one to tell the grandchildren.
In Munich, Kimmich makes it 1-1 against Manchester City … but of course 1-4 on aggregate.
Updated
Goal! 85 min: Inter 3-2 Benfica (5-2 agg) (Silva)
A free-kick is curled in by Grimaldo from the right for Benfica, and Silva meets it with a lovely flicked header that loops into the far corner.
Updated
82 min: Neres batters a shot on to the post after a horrible defensive mistake by Inter, playing out from the back!
Let’s face it, it is academic at this stage. Onana has now gone down injured in the Inter goal.
82 min: Dimarco goes off for Inter, Gosens on. Neves and Musa on for the visitors, with Silva and Chiquinho off.
The Argentinian Correa, fresh off the bench, takes a ball to his feet in the penalty area. He skips away from a rather half-hearted challenge from his compatriot, Otamendi. He has a sight of goal, and buries a sensational right-footed curling shot that clatters into the net off the far post. Tremendous goal. Inter will, it is certain, meet their city rivals Milan in the last four of the Champions League.
Updated
Goal! 77 min: Inter 3-1 Benfica (5-1 agg) (Correa)
Whooooosh!
75 min: Triple substitution for Inter: Barella, Dzeko, Martinez off, Calhanoglu, Lukaku and Correa come on.
A couple of minutes ago, Guedes came on for Ramos, for Benfica.
Updated
Just spotted this on the Reuters news wire, from earlier today. Hmmmm:
Juventus’s stadium will be fully open for Sunday’s Serie A match against Napoli after the club successfully appealed an order to close the Tribuna Sud section as punishment for their fans racially abusing Inter striker Romelu Lukaku.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said on Wednesday that all areas of the Allianz Stadium would be open after the sanction originally imposed by the sports judge had been annulled.
Juventus were hit with the partial stadium closure after racist chants aimed at Lukaku were heard during their 1-1 first leg draw against Inter in the Coppa Italia. Italian news agency ANSA reported that Juve banned two fans from their stadium after video footage of the incident went viral.
Juve are seventh in the table after being hit by a 15-point deduction earlier this season following an investigation into the club’s transfer dealings. The club have appealed against the sanction and a decision is expected shortly.
71 min: Now Dumfries hares down the right, and cuts a good ball back into the space on the edge of the box, for the on-rushing Dimarco. The creator of Inter’s second goal of the night hits a first-time curling shot that is blocked. If anyone is going to score another here, it’s the hosts.
Updated
70 min: Plenty of space opening up at the back for Inter to attack. Martinez and Dzeko race into space, with Benfica ludicrously short-staffed in defence. But Martinez fluffs his final ball and it’s intercepted.
Updated
The goal is created by a rampaging run by the wing-back Dimarco, who sprints to the byline on the left and cracks a low cross into the six-yard box, where the Argentinian Martinez has a pretty easy task to deflect the ball into the roof of the net from point-blank range. You have to be there to score them, though. The home crowd are loving this, and will continue to love it for the 20 or so minutes that remain. It is going to take something mind-blowing for Benfica to mount a recovery from here.
Updated
Goal! 65 min: Inter 2-1 Benfica (4-1 agg) (Martinez)
No, we will not see much jeopardy! It’s over.
Updated
64 min: Haaland puts Manchester City 4-0 up on aggregate against Bayern Munich.
Will we at least see some jeopardy in this tie in Milan?
Updated
61 min: Good stat from BT: Should Inter close this victory out, it’s the first time since 2003 there have been two Italian teams in the last four of European football’s top knockout competition.
60 min: Bastoni curls a lovely ball over from the left flank for Inter. Dzeko meets it with a powerful header, aimed back across goal, but it flies out for a goal kick.
58 min: The substitute and first-leg scorer Romelu Lukaku is pictured on the touch line, talking to one of Inter’s back room staff. On the pitch, Otamendi begins another Benfica attack. They keep it well for a while but Rafa Silva’s attempted ball for Neres then goes astray.
Updated
55 min: On the telly commentary, they are saying Martinez and Inter were lucky not to concede a penalty for the challenge on Aursnes. It looked marginal to me. But these are nervy moments for Inter, even if they do enjoy a two-goal lead.
Updated
52 min: Another Benfica corner. There is a scramble in the box. Aursnes tries to get a shot away and is challenged by Martinez quite heavily as he does so … the VAR has a look – but it’s no penalty. Still, the Portuguese club are causing problems, they are not going quietly, if that is what Inter were hoping for when they went 3-0 up on aggregate.
50 min: Neres is all over the place – in a good way – for Benfica. He pops up on their right wing now and sends another dangerous ball across that keeps the Inter rearguard on its toes.
49 min: Inter have a corner. It’s hit deep. Barella controls and sends the ball back, where Acerbi is threatening, but eventually he can’t get on the end of it.
47 min: Neres roars down the left wing for Benfica and drills a low ball across the face of goal. It’s blocked out for a corner. Inter clear and counter with pace on their left wing. Benfica’s Rafa Silva is booked for a clumsy hack on Mkhitaryan.
Updated
46 min: David Neres is on for Benfica, with Gilberto going off. Lock and load.
Martinez cracks a curling shot from distance for Inter, looking for the top corner. It looks good but never really threatens the goal.
Updated
Second-half kick-off!
VAI! ALLEZ! GO!
And yeah, “Mestalla”, not “the Mestalla”, my mistake.
@LukeMcLaughlin Also, please Luke. It's just "Mestalla". Not "The" Mestalla. It's the area of Valencia that the ground is in. it's like saying "The Wembley" or The Anfield". thanks...
— Andy Cummings (@FrankinValencia) April 19, 2023
Updated
There is hope.
@LukeMcLaughlin Not sure where Colum Fordham is trying to buy his tickets from, but Valencia v Villareal tickets available through the official website from 25€...
— Andy Cummings (@FrankinValencia) April 19, 2023
Did you know … ? Included in the Guardian Sport offering are some regular emails that you can sign up for, including Football Daily:
And Moving the Goalposts:
And those are completely FREE! But you could always bung us some cash if you wanted:
https://support.theguardian.com/uk/contribute
Half time! Inter 1-1 Benfica (1-3 agg)
Trouble ahead for Inter? Don’t rule it out.
Some half-time reading for you:
Updated
44 min: A clip from inside the stadium before kick-off. Sensational atmosphere:
— Terry, Daley ⭐️⭐️ (@T_Daley) April 19, 2023
42 min: With their tails up, Benfica push forward again, but Inter steady the defensive ship somewhat, and are soon counterattacking into plenty of space with visiting players committed forward. A pass goes astray, with Barella the target, though.
Updated
Inter have barely given Benfica a sniff, but things suddenly open up for the visitors. Rafa Silva has time and space to curl a cross over from the right for Aursnes, who capitalises on the quality of the delivery with a powerful header from about eight yards, that rockets into the top of the goal, Dumfries unable to stop him getting his header away. Onana has precious little time to react, let alone try and keep the ball out of the net. Benfica are back in this … and right back in this if they get another. Allez!
Updated
Goal! 37 min: Inter 1-1 Benfica (3-1 agg)
What a goal! A stunning header by Aursnes – and Benfica have hope!
Updated
35 min: Sixty-odd euros is definitely punchy to watch Valencia, who are having a terrible season. The Peter Lim effect?
I’m still astonished that Gary Neville thought it would be a good idea to go and manage Valencia.
33 min: Dzeko does damage again for the hosts. He runs on to a pass to near the byline on the right, and floats a lovely ball to the far post for Martinez. The Argentinian meets it with a decent downward header that bounces into the net via a ricochet or two, off goalie and defender, but he is penalised for a fairly blatant push on his marker that allowed him the space to get the ball in the net.
32 min: “The match may already be done and dusted courtesy of the brilliant goal by the young Sardinian player Barella,” writes Colum Fordham. “I was interested by your reference to Valencia as I am about to take a group of students from Naples to said city. Will do my utmost to pay a visit to the Mestalla to see Valencia-Villarreal on 3 May, although the prices are a bit steep (63 euros for the cheapest ticket apparently).”
30 min: Mkhitaryan fouls Joao Mario and gives away a free-kick on the edge of the Inter penalty area. The ref has words with players from both sides, presumably issuing a warning about imminent cards. Grimaldo hits the free-kick and it’s not a bad effort, perhaps on its way to nestling in the bottom corner, but Onana gets down to beat it out.
27 min: Alessia Russo has Manchester United a goal to the good against Arsenal in the WSL.
Meanwhile, in Milan, the telly director luxuriates in that goal by Barella for a while, replaying it from a couple of angles. It’s a sweet, sweet, strike: top class, top corner, and looks especially lovely from behind the goal.
Could it be one of those nights?
Or one of these?
22 min: Benfica move forward and Ramos, in a central position, slides a dangerous angled pass into the penalty area for Joao Mario. Dimarco is alive to the danger, however, and shows good pace and balance to whip the ball away cleanly from Joao Mario before getting the ball to safety.
Updated
20 min: Bayern v Manchester City is 0-0 on the night, 3-0 to City on aggregate.
So with the best will in the world, we’ve got two damp squibs of quarter-final second legs at the moment. Will there be any drama later tonight?
Updated
18 min: Tricky situation now for Roger Schmidt, the Benfica manager. He can’t throw caution to the wind and risk a total trouncing just yet.
Updated
In the lead-up to the goal, Dzeko battles well in midfield to get Inter moving forward. Martinez and Barella exchange passes, and the Italy international advances into the penalty area. There are three covering defenders between him and his target, but Barella checks back on to his left foot, and buys time and creates the angle to craft a lovely curling shot, with plenty of power, that starts outside the far post but bends up and beyond Vlachodimos and into the top corner.
A tremendous goal! Have Inter secured a semi-final date against their City rivals already? Benfica will perhaps be a bit disappointed with the defending, but you can’t deny the quality or the composure that Barella showed there.
Updated
Goal! 14 min: Inter 1-0 Benfica (Barella)
Cracking finish into the top corner. Game over?
Updated
12 min: Rafa Silva lofts a crossfield pass in the direction of Ramos. The move breaks down. Inter are defending with enough determination to keep their opponents quiet for the moment.
8 min: Loads of noise from the crowd. Spirits are high. But there’s been nothing like a clear-cut chance for either side yet. Aursnes is caught offside for Benfica, looking to get on the end of a ball clipped down their left flank.
Benfica aren’t waiting around – they are trying to reduce their two-goal deficit rather than soak up pressure and hit on the break. Inter, on the other hand, look happy enough for Benfica to have the ball.
Updated
6 min: Rafa Silva embarks on a pacy run through the middle for Benfica. There is danger for Inter, and Silva is brought down from behind … it looks like a foul but the ref isn’t interested. Inter can break and they suddenly have a three-on-two and Martínez tries to find Dimarco with a lateral pass to the left. It’s overhit, though, and that’s a waste.
Updated
4 min: The Inter manager Inzaghi, dressed in a smart black suit, issues instructions to his players from the technical area. Dumfries launches a long throw in the direction of Dzeko, with Inter enjoying a bit of territory for the first time, but cannot find his target.
Updated
2 min: It’s a bit of a scruffy opening, with Benfica looking to build from the left-back position, losing it, winning it back again, but then sweeping downfield and winning the first corner of the night. There is a foul by Ramos in the penalty area when the ball is pumped in, and Inter can clear. Looked like the defender bought that one.
Updated
First half kick-off!
Benfica kick off. Here we go. Can they do it?
Lovely flag.
⌛ Faltam 𝟯𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻 🔜 #FCIMSLB #EuAmoOBenfica • #UCL pic.twitter.com/6XlHUlN42C
— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) April 19, 2023
The teams are in the tunnel! So are the match officials. Football is not far away now.
Michael Owen and Peter Crouch are indulging in some touch-screen analysis in the BT Sport studios as we build up to kick-off. I have to admit, I am not really listening.
Here is Paul Wilson’s match report from Madrid 2010, when Inter defeated Bayern Munich in the final to lift the Champions League. Was that team a well-drilled defensive unit, or what? Pure Mourinho.
Sticking with Valencia for a moment, I’ve always wanted to go to the Mestalla. They’ve been talking about knocking it down for years but (thankfully) there seems to be little progress on that front.
I’ve been to San Siro, years ago, but never for a match – just for the tour. Which was nice.
Last month I was fortunate enough to attend Atalanta v Udinese and Juventus v Freiburg in the space of a week. Incidentally, the two tickets were about 70euro combined.
In Italy I attended a Serie A match (Atalanta v Udinese) and a Europa League match (Juventus v Freiburg) for a combined cost of under 73euro, or £65. Also attached is the pricing structure for Torino v Bologna in Serie A.
— Luke McLaughlin (@LukeMcLaughlin) March 11, 2023
I’m quite sure our new regulator will sort this out 🤔 pic.twitter.com/3oFumctHVf
Updated
Textbook pre-match content from Inter’s English Twitter:
The boys are here 👋#ForzaInter #InterBenfica #UCL pic.twitter.com/N1yD05el8J
— Inter (@Inter_en) April 19, 2023
The atmosphere is building 📈#ForzaInter #InterBenfica #UCL pic.twitter.com/50TpyQlX6g
— Inter (@Inter_en) April 19, 2023
Updated
“A couple of Valencia connections tonight,” emails Harriet Osborn. “Just think what could have been if Guedes weren’t languishing on the Benfica bench, dumped by struggling Wolves, but partnering Cavani at the front of Valencia’s attack ...”
As the panic sets in and Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali work out how to repair the damage they have caused during the past year, the biggest mistake Chelsea’s beleaguered owners could make would be to kid themselves that a season of astonishing excess and underachievement is not their fault.
Here’s the match report from last week – Benfica 0-2 Inter, that is.
Updated
Chelsea, now officially downgraded from crisis club to comedy club, may well hire the Bayern Munich reject, Julian Nagelsmann. Jacob Steinberg reports:
Over on Channel 1, Scott Murray’s got Bayern Munich v Manchester City:
Daniel Gallan, meanwhile, is blogging the WSL encounter between Manchester United and “The” Arsenal right here:
Keep it locked here for Inter v Benfica though, obviously.
Updated
Tonight’s referee is Carlos del Cerro Grande – incidentally the man on the whistle in Valencia’s weekend defeat by Sevilla at Mestalla, that kept that once mighty club firmly in the bottom three, and staring down the barrel of relegation. Here’s Sid Lowe:
The good news for Benfica – as well as for us neutrals hoping to see an exciting conclusion to this two-legged tie – is that Inter have been rubbish at home lately. They’ve lost their last three league matches at San Siro and have failed to score a goal in those games, too. Most recently they lost 1-0 to Monza, on Saturday. They are languishing in fifth place in Serie A, 24 points behind the leaders Napoli.
Updated
Teams
The Nerazzurri are unchanged from the first leg, that took place eight days ago, while there is one change for Benfica, with the former Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi back from suspension and coming into the starting side for Morato, who is on the bench.
Internazionale: Onana, Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni, Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco, Martinez, Dzeko. Substitutes: Handanovic, Gagliardini, de Vrij, Gosens, Correa, Bellanova, Asllani, Calhanoglu, Cordaz, D’Ambrosio, Carboni, Lukaku.
Benfica: Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Otamendi, Grimaldo, Florentino, Chiquinho, Rafa Silva, Joao Mario, Aursnes, Goncalo Ramos. Substitutes: Lucas Verissimo, Neres, Goncalo Guedes, Tengstedt, Schjelderup, Ristic, Soares, Musa, Ndour, Gomes, Neves, Morato.
Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain)
Updated
Preamble
What are the chances of Benfica overturning last week’s 2-0 home defeat by Internazionale in tonight’s Champions League quarter-final second leg? Not very high, but they probably harbour more hope than Chelsea did of turning around the same scoreline against Real Madrid last night.
Inter, perhaps, have a little more motivation than they normally would, knowing that progress tonight sets up a semi-final against their city rivals, Milan, who were superb in attack and defence as they knocked out Serie A leaders, Napoli, 2-1 on aggregate last night.
A Milanese last-four clash is certainly a mouthwatering prospect, but that said, it feels like this season’s competition has been a bit light on drama. For the neutrals among us, could this be the night that the competition bursts into life? Team news and much more besides coming up.
Kick-off: 8pm BST
