Bayern Munich 2 (21' Gomez, 31' Muller) v Inter 3 (3' Eto'o , 18' (2h) Sneijder, 43' (2h) Pandev)
Champions League / Tue Mar 15 2011 20:45 / "Allianz Arena"
referee: Pedro Proença / assistant refs: Trigo Ferreira Santos / 4th official: Gomes
UCL, Bayern M. 2-3 Inter: we're in the quarters
Wednesday, 16 March 2011 00:14:41
MUNICH – Inter beat Bayern Munich 2-3 in Germany this evening in the UEFA Champions League 2010/11 Round-of-16 second leg to seal qualification to the quarter finals.
The Allianz Arena was the scene for a great show tonight: a full house that included 3,000 Nerazzurri fans packed in after making the trip to get behind the team and help overturn the 0-1 deficit from the first leg. They were on the comeback trail after just three minutes, when Pandev's through-ball for Eto'o was tucked away through Kraft's legs by Inter's top scorer. Julio Cesar might have wanted to walk home again tonight after he fumbled Robben's 21st-minute shot, allowing Gomez to swoop for the equaliser – much like the one conceded at the Meazza.
Just ten minutes later Muller added a second to send the Nerazzurri in at half-time a goal behind – and it would have been two had Ranocchia not hacked clear with the ball trickling along the goal line. After the restart, a lovely right-footed strike from Sneijder - from outside the box into the far corner - got Inter back in the game at 2-2. And their hopes were turned into reality with a few minutes remaining thanks to another sweetly struck effort by Goran Pandev, following good work by Eto'o. Inter thus qualify for the quarter-finals after completing a European comeback for the first time since 1993 – an impossible comeback, they said. But with Inter anything is possible.
FIRST HALF - Leonardo was forced to rethink his starting line-up after Zanetti was ruled out with flu, meaning that Cambiasso and Thiago Motta both started in midfield alongside Stankovic, who was named captain for the evening. Lucio recovered in time to take his place at the heart of the defence but Milito wasn't even among the substitutes. Both sides took to the field with a black armband as a sign of respect towards the earthquake victims in Japan, and a huge banner was displayed ("We're with you Japan") during the minute's silence at the beginning of the game.
The Bavarians looked dangerous from the off, with Robben's freekick met by Gomez in front of goal but saved by Julio Cesar after just a minute. But almost immediately Inter took the lead through super Eto'o: Stankovic fed Pandev, who played a delightful through-ball behind the defence for Eto'o (just onside) to latch onto and turn his shot between Kraft's legs. Eto'o made it one-nil to Inter with his 8th goal in the Champions League and 32nd overall this season; like last Friday, he dedicated it to Nagatomo. Bayern's response came in the form of a Ribery cross finding Gomez yards from goal on 10 minutes, but Ranocchia slid in to make the crucial block just as Gomez pulled the trigger.
Inter were still blazing and launching attacks through Eto'o and Sneijder, as in the first leg, a mistake by Julio Cesar brought the Nerazzurri crashing back down to earth: Robben's long-range blast was fumbled by the Inter keeper and up popped Mario Gomez – again! - to score by lobbing Julio Cesar with his back to goal and make it 1-1. The goal sparked Van Gaal's side into life and just ten minutes later they had turned the score around: Robben played in a pass looking for Gomez, Thiago Motta got a touch on the ball on the edge of the box but it slipped away from him allowing Muller to run onto it and deftly chip over Julio Cesar: 2-1. In the 35th minute, Julio Cesar came to Inter's rescue with a superb save from Ribery, pushing the ball just over the bar.
On 39 minutes, following Thiago Motta's freekick, Stankovic was presented with a great chance to equalise but he delayed a fraction too long and Kraft was onto it. A minute later and a quite miraculous goal-line clearance by Ranocchia kept Inter in the game: Ribery's ball into the box was for Gomez, who slid in and beat Julio Cesar, but the ball bounced along the line for what seemed like an eternity before Ranocchia hacked clear – via Muller's foot and then the post – into Julio Cesar's hands. To an almighty sigh of relief from all Inter fans. They were holding their breaths again minutes later when Lucio got himself into a fix trying to clear under pressure from two opponents but the danger was eventually cleared and after one minute of stoppage time the two sides went in for the break. Inter, at half-time, you had everything still to do.
SECOND HALF – The second half got underway with the same 22 players on the pitch and with Bayern taking the initiative, first through Gomez, who had his shot blocked by Julio Cesar in the 47th minute, then with Schweinsteiger taking a weak shot from distance a minute later. In the 51st minute Leonardo made his first change when he removed Stankovic, who was carrying a slight injury, and replaced him with Coutinho. A chance fell to Inter just before the hour mark: a low freekick from Sneijder, followed by a cross from Ranocchia for Lucio, which saw Kraft come off his line just in time for the crucial interception. After 61 minutes Eto'o unintentionally served up a dangerous ball for Pandev, whose shot was parried, however.
Then, with more decisiveness, the “Lion King” fed Sneijder, whose magnificent right-footed shot beat Kraft to bring the score to 2-2. Hopes were further reignited when Pandev nearly put Inter ahead in the 67th minute as he chest-trapped Sneijder’s long pass, but the ensuing shot on the turn sailed just over the crossbar. Sneijder came close on 80 minutes after a pass from Eto’o, but his powerful right-footer from outside the box was saved. Hope never died and in the 88th minute Pandev sent the Nerazzurri fans around the world into rapture by connecting with a pass from Eto'o and blasting the ball into the top corner with a left-footed strike.
The Macedonian triggered a Nerazzurri explosion of joy inside the Allianz Arena with his goal that sent Inter to the quarter-finals and closed the game with a 2-3 score line. Only once in the history of the Champions League had a team overcome a first-leg loss at home.
And today Inter made history.
Bayern Munich 2-3 Inter
Scorers: 3 Eto'o, 21 Gomez, 31 Muller, 63 Sneijder, 88 Pandev
Bayern Munich: 35 Kraft; 2 Breno (39 Kroos, 90), 30 Gustavo, 5 Van Buyten (28 Badstuber, 70), 21 Lahm; 31 Schweinsteiger, 23 Pranjic; 7 Ribery, 25 Muller,10 Robben (8 Altintop, 68); 33 Gomez.
Unused subs: 1 Butt, 16 Ottl, 18 Klose, 44 Tymoshchuk.
Coach: Louis Van Gaal
Inter: 1 Julio Cesar; 13 Maicon, 6 Lucio, 15 Ranocchia, 26 Chivu (55 Nagatomo, 87); 5 Stankovic (29 Coutinho, 51), 8 Thiago Motta, 19 Cambiasso; 10 Sneijder; 27 Pandev (14 Kharja, 90), 9 Eto'o.
Unused subs: 12 Castellazzi, 2 Cordoba, 17 Mariga, 23 Materazzi.
Coach: Leonardo
Referee: Pedro Proenca (Portugal).
Booked: 38 Gustavo, 57 Breno, 59 Lucio, 88 Pandev, 90+1 Kharja, 90+4 Thiago Motta.
Added time: 1 + 4 mins
Credit: F.C. Internazionale Milano (www.inter.it)
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