The first leg of Inter Milan’s Champions League last-16 match against Atletico Madrid was a hard-fought match that ended with a late goal from substitute Marko Arnautovic as the game ended 1-0 at home for Inter Milan.
In the 79th minute, after goalkeeper Jan Oblak had saved Lautaro Martinez’s attempt, the Austrian striker—who had come on as a halftime substitute for the injured Marcus Thuram—redeemed himself after multiple wasted opportunities.
In the 2010 UEFA Super Cup, Atletico defeated the opposition 2-0 in the only previous meeting between the two teams.
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Fans at San Siro honoured the club’s former star, Germany World Cup champion Andreas Brehme, who passed away earlier on Tuesday at the age of 63, by donning black armbands.
Inter dominated the game, and even though Atletico had opportunities, the home team’s strong defence kept the visitors from scoring.
Atletico’s first chance fell to Samuel Lino, whose right-footed curler narrowly missed the far post.
Martinez and Thuram had opportunities to break the scoreless draw for Inter before the half, but they also faced a strong defence, with Oblak blocking or saving their shots.
Federico Dimarco’s cross to Arnautovic, who slid in somewhat late and blasted the ball over from close range, gave Inter the attack advantage early in the second half.
After an hour, Arnautovic found himself free in front of goal and attempted to score again, but the villain’s late goal proved to be the game’s winning goal, much to the annoyance of the home crowd.
Even though the game ended late, Thuram, a crucial player for Inzaghi this season, was replaced at halftime and appeared to be suffering from a leg injury.
With 12 goals and 11 assists across all competitions this season, the 26-year-old has significantly contributed.