The primary leg of the Champions League quarterfinal conflict between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan was a extremely intense contest, with the Serie A champions rising victorious over the Bundesliga leaders in Munich.
Lautaro Martinez struck first for the guests within the thirty eighth minute, and although it appeared the Bavarians would search a late winner when Bayern legend Thomas Muller stepped off the bench and equalized within the eighty fifth, they had been severely shaken once more when Inter substitute Davide Frattesi set the ultimate rating three minutes later.
Groups
Each coaches needed to take care of vital numbers of gamers lacking by means of harm or suspension.
Bayern boss Vincent Kompany was with out the companies of goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer, defenders Dayot Upamecano, Alphonso Davies, Tarek Buchmann and Hiroki Ito, midfielders Jamal Musiala and Aleksandar Pavlovic, in addition to winger Kingsley Coman.
In Neuer’s absence, Jonas Urbig stood between the posts. Kim Min-jae paired up with Eric Dier within the coronary heart of defence, with Konrad Laimer on the correct and Josip Stanisic on the left. Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich had been in the midst of the park, with Raphael Guerreiro in a extra superior function. Michael Olise attacked from the correct flank, Leroy Sane from the left, and Harry Kane led the road.
As for Simone Inzaghi within the away dugout, defender Denzel Dumfries, midfielders Kristjan Asllani, Piotr Zielinski and Valentin Carboni, in addition to striker Mehdi Taremi, had been out.
Former Bayern man Yann Sommer was in purpose, shielded by the again three of Alessandro Bastoni, Francesco Acerbi and Benjamin Pavard. Hakan Calhanoglu anchored the midfield, with Nicolo Barella and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in box-to-box function, and the pair of Mateo Darmian and Carlos Augusto broad on the flanks. In assault, captain Lautaro Martinez was expectedly joined by Marcus Thuram.
Match recap
The opening phases had been cagey as each side cautiously felt one another out, nevertheless it was Michael Olise who sparked the primary actual second of hazard, forcing a fingertip save from Yann Sommer after chopping in from the correct. Inter steadily grew into the competition, but had been unable to take advantage of a few promising forays into the Bayern field.
The primary shot on the right track got here by way of a well-known supply in Harry Kane, although he didn’t make correct contact with Olise’s floated cross, permitting Sommer to collect with ease. Guerreiro then spurned the clearest alternative of the half, discovered by one other incisive Olise go, however once more the Inter goalkeeper was as much as the duty.
Bayern’s missed probabilities would show expensive, as Thuram’s intelligent flick simply earlier than the break teed up Lautaro Martinez, who produced a elegant end from the sting of the world to interrupt the impasse.
Bayern managed possession once more after the interval, however Inter – now with a result in defend – sat deeper and proved far more durable to interrupt down. The hosts got a scare when solely a last-ditch Goretzka sort out denied Martinez a second following a quickly-taken free kick, underlining Inter’s ruthlessness in transition.
Regardless of dictating the tempo, Bayern struggled to carve out clear openings, prompting coach Kompany to roll the cube with a triple substitution. Muller, Serge Gnabry and Sacha Boey had been all launched with slightly below 20 minutes remaining. The transfer paid off when Muller, the skilled poacher, popped up on the far put up to faucet in a Laimer cut-back and stage the rating.
Nonetheless, Inter would have the ultimate say. In basic counter-attacking vogue, Augusto burst down the left and squared for Frattesi, who smashed house into an empty internet to provide the Nerazzurri a slender however treasured first-leg lead.
World-class Lautaro
Whereas Bayern unsurprisingly loved extra possession and fired extra photographs than Inter, leaving an general impression of narrowly being the higher facet on this match, Lautaro Martinez repeatedly lifted Inter stage and proved his undoubtable high quality over and over.
The Argentinian ahead labored extraordinarily arduous, serving to his workforce to defend, retaining the ball beneath robust stress from a number of opponents in the midst of the park on a number of event, creating lots for his teammates, and getting himself on the scoresheet first with fantastically taken purpose. He was concerned within the profitable purpose as properly, being the one who launched Augusto down the left within the first place.
The 27-year-old appeared getting ready to leaving the membership a couple of years in the past, however now, in his prime, his contract with the Nerazzurri runs till the summer time of 2029, and there will be little question about his place among the many biggest names of this membership. We’ve seen his greatness already, and there’s certainly extra to return.
Actual-deal Olise
Then again, the danger Bayern took once they forked out greater than €50 million to signal Olise from Crystal Palace final yr appears to be paying off. The 23-year-old winger now has 13 objectives and 16 assists in 43 matches throughout all competitions this season to his title.
If there was a participant always gave the secure Inter defence hassle on this recreation, who at all times seemed able to making one thing particular to occur, it was Olise. He might have had harm issues previously, however he hasn’t had a single drawback of that kind all through 2024/25 up to now and his progress, from a youthful inspiration of a mid-table workforce within the Premier League, to a key participant for the Bundesliga leaders and Champions League contenders, is clear.
Not over but
Inter have clearly gained a small however vital benefit, reaching a one-goal victory within the first leg away from house. The assist they’ll certainly really feel surging from the stands of San Siro subsequent week will present them with additional vitality, possible wanted very a lot to carry off Bayern once they come for what they really feel needs to be theirs – a spot within the semifinals.
