When a football club is depending on one player, even if that player is Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, it’s never a good sign. Football is not basketball, where there are only five guys in the first team, and players like Michael Jordan or LeBron James can make a difference in every match. But when your team is just above average, when you don’t have a proper cover for the 36-year old striker and when all of your transfer signings are not up to standards, all you can do is to depend on your best player. The team is AC Milan, the player is Rafael Leao. The Portuguese forward is arguably the best footballer of the Italy’s last year champion and the stats are backing it up – Rossoneri have not won a game without him this season. But in tonight’s Champions League semi-final match with Inter, Leao played, and Milan still failed to score and win: Inter – Milan 1-0.⚽️ GOAL LAUTARO MARTINEZ 🇮🇹 Inter 1-0 AC Milan 🇮🇹#UCL #InterMilan #DerbydellaMadonninapic.twitter.com/wV9t27xXWb— Somos Champions (@MisionChampions) May 16, 2023 Leao was injured 10 days ago and somehow managed to play all 90 minutes but couldn’t do anything. He only had two flashes tonight: a great chance in the 37th minute and a weak header in the 65th minute. Too little against even smaller clubs, let alone Inter, who is great form, who won 2-0 in the first match and who eliminated Benfica, a team which plays the best football in Europe. Nerrazuri were again a better team, they didn’t play great football (they rarely do), but they played smart and disciplined and used their chance to score and recorded another win over their bitter rivals and they are travelling to Istanbul to the Champions League final game, their first since Jose Mourinho’s reign in 2010.IN FINALE ANDIAMO NOIIIIIII 😱😍🙏😎⚽🤪🤩🏟️✈️🌍🥹🤯🫠😵💫😝🖤💙 #ForzaInter #InterMilan #UCL pic.twitter.com/9Q86qlfE7D— Inter (@Inter) May 16, 2023 As expected, Simeone Inzaghi fielded the same 11 players from the first leg (which ment Romelu Lukaku on the bench), while Stefano Pioli, apart from Rafael Leao, made two more changes, as captain Simon Kjaer was surprisingly dropped to the bench, with Malick Thiaw starting in his place. The heavily injured Ismael Bennacer was replaced by Junior Messias.🔵⚫😲 «ΜΑΓΙΚΗ» ΑΤΜΟΣΦΑΙΡΑ ΣΤΟ «ΤΖΟΥΣΕΠΕ ΜΕΑΤΣΑ» ΑΠΟ ΤΟΥΣ ΟΠΑΔΟΥΣ ΤΗΣ ΙΝΤΕΡ!#InterMilan #ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/gjDJ511oTC— gazzetta.gr (@gazzetta_gr) May 16, 2023 The first half was the tale of two goalkeepers and their brilliant saves. Both Andre Onana and Mike Maignan made great saves, at the start and at the end of the first half. Brahim Diaz had a colossal chance in the 11th minute, he was in ideal position, but the shot was weak and the Cameroonian keeper made a great save. This miss will haunt Milan for sure. Three minutes later it was Magnian’s time to make a brilliant save, after a shot from Barella, who was offside in the process. And then the game turned into a semi-watchable match, not worthy of a Champions League semi-final. No chances, no bursts from the flanks, just a bunch of broken pases and fauls. And then in the space of two minutes we saw a bunch of great saves. Rafael Leao finally broke from his guardians on the left, but his shot was just centimeters from the rigth post. And then Magnian again had to save his team after Calhanoglu’s powerful free kick, which was flicked by Dzeko, but straight at the French international, who had the presence of mind to reflexely beat the ball away.3 – Lautaro #Martínez became the 3rd Argentine player to score at least 10 goals in European Cup/Champions League for #Inter, after Julio Cruz (13) and Hernán Crespo (11). Podium.#InterMilanACMIlan #UCL pic.twitter.com/h3g5xz491c— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) May 16, 2023 While they played smart and without risk in the first half, Inter took control in the second and AC Milan, who were trailing two goals had a little over 40% possession and no shot on goal (on and off the target) in the first 15 minutes of the second half. As the game went on, Milan played with more mistakes and Pioli’s substitutes were late and not useful. And then a chance was created by Lukaku, who supplied Lautaro with the ball and the Argentinian scored the only goal of the game to give his team the Champions League final.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUESemi-final, second legTuesday, 16 MayInter – Milan 1-0 (0-0) (first leg 2-0)/Lautaro 74/Wednesday, 17 May22.00: (1.67) Man.City (4.00) Real Madrid (5.60) (first leg 1-1)***odds are subject to change
