Facts: The semi-finals of the Champions League
Real Madrid-Manchester City, Milan-Inter.
The semi-finals will be played May 9-10 with returns May 16-17.
The final will be played in Istanbul on June 10.
Milan managed to capitalize on their home win to draw 1-1 away to Napoli in the all-Italian quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Soon there will be a new battle between the giants of Italian football: the clubs that share the Giuseppe Meazza stadium as their home city – or San Siro as the arena is popularly called.
Inter had 2-0 from the meeting with Benfica at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon to lean on for the decisive return.
Early lead goal
In theory, most things are easy. Don’t concede a goal, at worst let it stop at one – and the semi-final against Milan awaited.
But offense is often the best defense.
It took 13 minutes at the San Siro – then it was practically clear that the Milan derby is on its way in the fight for a place in the final in Istanbul. Nicolo Barella elegantly screwed in with his left foot to make it 1-0.
Then and there, Benfica were whipped to push in three balls in the remaining 77 minutes – and at the same time keep tight at the back – to force extra time. Benfica succeeded forward, but not backwards.
The clinching in the match and the reduction in the quarter-final came in time a few minutes before half-time. Fredrik Aursnes headed in beautifully and powerfully to make it 1-1.
Lautaro Martinez and Joaquin Correa extinguished Portugal’s hopes with their goals to make it 3–1 in the second half. In the end, Antonio Silva reduced the score to 3-2 with a header and Petar Musa equalized in added time.
Inter won 5–3 on aggregate.
Mission impossible for Bayern
Bayern Munich faced something that could be compared to an impossible task at home in front of 75,000 spectators at the Allianz Arena.
Turning 0-3 against Manchester City proved to be something that the big German club could not handle.
The meeting could have been abandoned even before the break.
Erling Braut Haaland converted a penalty before scoring 1-0 for Manchester City away to Bayern Munich.
But Erling Braut Haaland missed a penalty in the Champions League for the first time in his career. He really overshot. An individual shortcoming that had no collective consequences for his team.
Dayot Upamecano, unlucky man in one of City’s goals last week, was given an early red card by referee Clement Turpin. Upamecano brought down Haaland in a free-kick situation, but the VAR control saved the defender.
Haaland was offside when he received the ball. Onside, the Norwegian was at his best when he pushed City’s 1-0 in the second half.
Bayern got a draw in the end, when Josua Kimmich equalized from the penalty spot. City progressed 4–1 on aggregate.
Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel received a red card at the end.
City is gaining steam in the FA Cup, has got hold of Arsenal in the Premier League and in three weeks Real Madrid awaits in the fight for a final place in the Champions League.