April 20, (THEWILL) – In a thrilling encounter on Wednesday, Inter Milan secured their place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals with a 3-3 draw against Benfica at San Siro.
Inter’s qualification for the semi-finals followed the qualification of their city rivals, AC Milan, who beat Napoli on Tuesday to secure their place in the last four. Inter had taken a 2-0 lead into their first-leg match against Benfica, meaning that they only needed to avoid defeat to progress.
The 3-3 draw meant that Inter progressed 5-3 on aggregate and will now face their city rivals, AC Milan, in the last four of the competition. Nicolo Barella gave Inter the lead with a stunning finish in the first half, before Fredrik Aursnes equalised for Benfica with a powerful header.
Lautaro Martinez and Joaquin Correa then scored for Inter, but late goals from Antonio Silva and Petar Musa ensured that Benfica at least ended their recent losing run. Despite the valiant effort that Benfica turned in at the end, Inter were able to see out the match and secure their place in the semi-finals.
Inter will now turn their attention to their Serie A match against Empoli on Sunday, where they will be looking to maintain their push for a top-four finish. Meanwhile, Benfica will face Estoril in the Liga Portugal on the same day, as they look to bounce back from their Champions League defeat.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
