For the first time in 20 years, Inter Milan will face off against rivals AC Milan in a UEFA Champions League semi final, after Lautaro Martínez’s goal and assist helped them draw 3-3 – for a 5-3 aggregate win – despite Benfica’s late fightback at the San Siro in this quarter-final second leg blockbuster.UCL: Upamecano is the new Maguire, Bayern’s defender helps City secure a place in the semi-finalGiven their healthy 2-0 lead from the first leg, Inter needed only to remain tight defensively and patiently wait for their moment to pounce in order to see the job out. And that approach worked perfectly as the quarter-hour mark loomed, when Nicolò Barella – also the opening scorer at the Estádio da Luz a week ago – cut inside António Silva and Chiquinho before curling a divine effort into the top corner. And Inter could have truly blazed out of sight soon after, when Odysseas Vlachodimos dropped Federico Dimarco’s cross, although the goalkeeper recovered to claw the ball away from Edin Džeko.Contrastingly, Benfica were largely starved of opportunities in the opening half-hour, with Álex Grimaldo’s dipping free-kick being well dealt with by André Onana. However, a chink in Nerazzurri’s armour was exposed by Rafa Silva’s cross in the 38th minute. Fredrik Aursnes, whose only other goal for As Águias had come at Santa Clara’s 13,277-capacity Estádio de São Miguel, capitalised on lax defending to head in an equaliser and stun the San Siro, while offering the Primeira Liga leaders some faint hope of mounting a miracle comeback in the tie.Undeterred, Martínez embodied Inter’s intent after the restart with a strike that curled agonisingly wide, before then blocking an attempted clearance from Vlachodimos. And while Benfica had moments of promise too, there was no stopping their hosts when Martínez’s intensity and guile was matched by Dimarco. The wing-back got behind Aursnes to set up the Argentine in the 65th minute, as he ended a run of eight goalless matches with a clinical first-time finish, sending the Inter faithful into unbridled euphoria.Mere minutes after being introduced from the bench, Joaquín Correa then outfoxed Nicolás Otamendi with a drop of the shoulder, and beat Vlachodimos with an exquisite strike that crashed in off the post, surely giving Inter a commanding victory. But despite Silva scoring a late header and Petar Musa following it up with an instinctive finish in the final seconds to deny the Nerazzurri a quarter-final double, Inter fans simply partied in the dying moments, with a tie against AC Milan in the CHampions League semi-final confirmed. Meanwhile, As Águias are now winless in four and must turn their focus to a Primeira Liga title race that has become uncomfortably close for them in recent weeks.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUEQuarter-final, second legTuesdayChelsea – Real Madrid 0-2 (0-0) /first leg 0-2//Rodrygo 58, 80/Napoli – Milan 1-1 (0-1) /first leg 0-1//Osimhen 90+3 – Giroud 43/WednesdayInter – Benfica 3-3 (1-1) /first leg 2-0//Barella 14, Martinez 65, Correa 78 – Aursnes 38, SIlva 86, Musa 90+5/Bayern – Man.City 1-1 (0-0) /first leg 0-3//Kimmich 83 pen – Haaland 57/***odds are subject to change***
