Inter Milan drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich on Wednesday to set up a Champions League semifinal against Barcelona.
Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Pavard scored for the home side, with the English duo of Harry Kane and Eric Dier netting for Bayern, as the Italians ran out 4-3 winners on aggregate over the two quarterfinal ties.
Inter know how to play knockout football ⚫🔵#SSUCL | #UCL pic.twitter.com/mOuhkP8Bpa
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) April 16, 2025
Eric Dier's looping header in the 75th minute earned Bayern a draw on the night in soaking and blustery Milan but that wasn't enough for Vincent Kompany's side to continue their bid to be crowned Kings of Europe for a seventh time.
Simone Inzaghi's side came through in awful conditions at the San Siro where a combination of heavy rain and driving winds affected both teams' ability to play their best football, but added uncertainty and tension to an already highly-charged occasion.
Inter are still on for a repeat of the Serie A, Champions League and Italian Cup treble won under Jose Mourinho in 2010, as they are also three points ahead of Napoli in Italy's top flight and face AC Milan in the semifinals of the domestic cup.
And Wednesday's win showed that Inter are more than capable or reaching the final of Europe's elite club competition, as they did two years ago when they were narrowly beaten by Manchester City.
Bayern had won all three of their previous Champions League away matches at Inter, but after Pavard crashed home his first goal for the club in the 61st minute there was no way back for the injury-hit Bundesliga leaders.
Benjamin Pavard comes back to haunt his former club ⚽🔥
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) April 16, 2025
Inter Milan are in control now ⚫🔵
📺 Stream #UCL on DStv: https://t.co/B0jLrQW5cc pic.twitter.com/CfXFOtQrMi
Inter will also benefit from playing the second leg of their showdown with Barca, who they beat in the semifinals on their way to victory in Madrid 15 years ago, at the San Siro.
TREBLE DREAM
The hosts didn't come alive until their fans, who had been sat and stood in silence for the first 20 minutes in protest at ticket prices, burst loudly in song.
By that time the wind had picked up so much that one Inter cross almost swung back out of the penalty box, but even with the wind in their faces the hosts were on the up.
Thuram just failed to get a touch on Francesco Acerbi's scuffed finish in the 29th minute, and moments later Hakan Calhanoglu crashed powerful shot just wide of the upright.
Bayern reacted and pushed Inter back into their own area for the final minutes of the opening half, but a combination of the conditions, desperate defending and poor finishing kept the match scoreless at the break.
Inter started the second half the stronger but Kane levelled the tie with a brilliantly taken goal, shifting onto his right and drilling a low shot through Federico Dimarco's leg's and past Yann Sommer.
Just moments before Kane had rookie Bayern goalkeeper to thank for stopping him scoring an own goal, but not long afterwards Martinez re-established Inter's advantage when he controlled Dimarco's corner and lashed home.
And Pavard decided the tie three minutes later with a bullet header against his former club from another corner, sending the San Siro wild with delight.
That wasn't it though as Dier moved Bayern back to within a goal of extra-time, but when Sommer smothered Kane's header in stoppage time Inter's treble dream was kept alive.
The #UCL dream is still very much alive 🖤💙
— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter_en) April 16, 2025
See you in the semis 🔥#ForzaInter #InterBayernMonaco pic.twitter.com/Nd3DMcoz7r