Inter secured a 1-0 win over Porto in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 on Wednesday and Richard Hall picks out some of the main talking points from the victory inspired by Romelu Lukaku and André Onana.
It was a Champions League night not to forget and it started even before the teams entered Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. Inter’s Curva Nord choreography was as well thought out and awe-inspiring as ever.
A great lighthouse shone its beams onto the Inter badge whilst the whole stadium was covered in blue and black, the words red ‘Love is a fixed beacon that towers over the storm.’ The Nerazzurri would win the game late on, so what did we learn about Simone Inzaghi’s team after this display?
André Onana
The former Ajax man made a string of incredible saves and the double stop in the 56th minute was undoubtedly the best one he has made for Inter so far, which kept them in the game. Treble-winning keeper Julio Cesar said that his performance should warrant him being the first choice without argument.
His passion is also there to see his character. When Edin Dzeko urged him to stop complaining to the referee, he told him to ‘shut up.’ This was over straight away thanks to Hakan Calhanoglu, but it showed just how pumped up he was for the game: a clean sheet and marvellous performance.
Romelu Lukaku
The Belgian forward started the game on the bench and as the match wore on, it seemed his presence was needed. Porto were physical and Inter lacked a creative player in the midfield to break through. The game was played at an electric pace, but the team’s plans were not working.
Time for Romelu in the 58th minute and the Belgian’s impact was incredible. He looked fit and powerful and in the 86th minute, he got onto his own rebound to score the winner. Gazzetta Dello Sport was especially impressed, saying: “On the night he wanted, the one he had prepared for. Not just the goal, but the back-heel, the assist to Lautaro, the near-brace: if this is him, he can change Inter’s season.”
Hakan Calhanoglu
The Turkey international has been superb this season and has perhaps gone under the radar somewhat. He looked like a captain at times on the pitch, trying to dictate the tempo of the game and looking incredibly composed.
His set pieces were perfect and his thunderous strike was saved brilliantly by Diogo Costa, who was having the game of his life. Calha has certainly given Inter something different in midfield and against Porto he could have added a goal, but it wasn’t to be.
Wing-backs
Against Sergio Conceiçao’s side, Federico Dimarco, who has been superb all campaign, and Mattia Darmian were excellent. The Nerazzurri have four wing-backs they can interchange and on Wednesday night, they showed it. When the game was at its most frantic, the team knew they could not get through the middle and looked to the men on the flanks to help them. Darmian has been so consistent this season and this game was no different. His constant running saw him on the end of some horrible challenges. Dimarco was bombing down the left but also showed his brilliant delivery. It is no secret, but he showed it again against the Portuguese.
Deal with Port’so physicality
The final point is that Inter showed they could handle a very physical game under pressure. There may have been only three cards to Porto, one red, and one yellow to Inter, but both teams played tough. Players were not going down for the sake of it and it was undoubtedly Porto’s approach to stop Inter from playing and then counterattack. The injuries they had before this game means that this approach was reasonable, but Inter stood up and were up to the challenge. This could do them well when they encounter physical teams later in the season.
Inter must go to Porto in three weeks and it will be a very different game but the psychological nature of this first leg will help them in Portugal. There were some outstanding displays at San Siro on Wednesday night, which will give Inzaghi a headache when they face Bologna on Sunday.
@RichHall80