Robin van Persie may have found that, for this year at least, fairytales have their limits. Only 10 days have passed since he was tasked with leading the club that forged him and it was a delicious twist of fate that Inter, contributors to a formative moment in his playing career, posed his first Champions League test. This proved a harsh introduction to the sharper end of management and it will be a shock for the ages if a depleted Feyenoord, willing but callow, can turn around a two-goal deficit at San Siro next week.
Inter simply weathered an early storm and, summoning the poise and wisdom that so often helps Serie A sides dismiss irritating arrivistes, brought their potent strike force to bear. Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martínez finished clinically either side of half-time and at this point it would be a stretch to claim Piotr Zielinski’s missed penalty may be consequential. While Milan had fallen here in the playoffs and been humbled in the return leg too, their city rivals simply looked a level above when it mattered. The weaker half of the draw may soon open up for Simone Inzaghi’s team.
