Inter Milan has reached their first Champions League final in more than a decade with a 1-0 victory over city rivals AC Milan.
Inter had a 2-0 lead from the first leg of the semifinal and Lautaro Martinez’s 74th-minute goal on Tuesday ended any hopes for Milan to stage a comeback.
The Nerazzurri won the so-called “Euroderby” 3-0 on aggregate to progress to its first final since it won the league, Italian Cup and Champions League under Jose Mourinho in 2010.
And it was the same formidable attacking partnership that led Inter to the Serie A title two years ago that proved decisive again, as Romelu Lukaku set up Martinez for the only goal.
Inter will face either Real Madrid or Manchester City in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 10. The second leg of the other semifinal is on Wednesday, with the scoreline from the first leg at 1-1.
AC Milan was also looking to end a lengthy wait for the final. It last reached the showpiece event in 2007, when it won the last of its seven titles.
The Rossoneri were able to welcome back Rafael Leao. He missed last week’s loss with a thigh injury and AC Milan was hoping his comeback would inspire the team to do the same.
The difference was immediately apparent as AC Milan played with an intensity it sorely lacked in the first leg amid a frantic start from both teams.
Brahim Diaz saw a weak shot comfortably smothered by Inter goalkeeper André Onana early on before Leao almost got his team back into it with his first real sight of goal shortly before halftime. The winger sprinted into the left of the area, but his angled drive grazed the outside of the far post.
But Inter dominated the second half and sealed its place in the final when Martinez made his way into left side of the area and exchanged passes with Lukaku — who had come on for Edin Džeko less than 10 minutes earlier — before firing in at the near post.
Inter will undoubtedly be the underdogs against either Real Madrid or Manchester City in the final in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 10, but the way they managed both legs of this all-Milan tie suggests they will be hard to beat.
