Nico Barella and Romelu Lukaku on target as Inter Milan overcome Benfica in Champions League quarter-final first leg

Nico Barella and Romelu Lukaku were on target for Inter Milan as they beat Benfica 2-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final.

It was a lacklustre first half, with only one shot on target coming from Rafa Silva, who received the ball after Federico Dimarco unintentionally knocked it his way.

The Portuguese reacted quickly, but struck his effort straight at Andre Onana for an easy save.

Early in the second half, Inter took advantage of some poor defending from Benfica as Alessandro Bastoni bypassed Joao Mario and crossed a ball into the box as Barella managed to get away from his marker, heading the ball down into the bottom corner.

Minutes later, Benfica were close to an equaliser as Silva poked a shot towards goal, but after the ball ricocheted around the box for a few moments, Bastoni quickly managed to clear the ball away.

A late VAR check deemed that Joao Mario had handled the ball from a Denzel Dumfries cross. Lukaku stepped up and scored his side’s second, and his third in the competition this season.

Moments before the final whistle, Goncalo Ramos got on the end of a throughball but his shot at the near post was straight at Onana for an easy save.

Before the second leg in Milan, Benfica will play Chaves, while Inter will host Monza.

TALKING POINT: AN OPPORTUNITY LOST FOR BENFICA

Benfica were uncharacteristically cautious in their approach today, and it hurt them in the end. One can argue that the penalty was harsh, but they only had two shots on target, one being right before the final whistle. Their slow approach benefited Inter, who are a team that thrive on taking their time with the ball. Benfica, who usually come out with blistering pace, and a high press played right into the Italian team’s hands. Roger Schmidt only opted to make one substitution throughout the 90, compared to Simone Inzaghi’s five, which seemed like an underutilisation of his options on the bench. All in all, a poor match from the players, and poor in-game management means that Benfica now have a mountain to climb in the second leg, which is away from home.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: ALESSANDRO BASTONI

It wasn’t a vintage Inter performance by any means, but Bastoni stood out amongst his team mates. He got the assist for the opener, and had two other key passes going forward as well as two chances created. The defender was solid in his position at the back too, with four clearances, three tackles, and six of his eight duels won.

PLAYER RATINGS

Benfica: Odysseas Vlachodimos 7, Alejandro Grimaldo 6, Morato 6, Antonio Silva 6, Gilberto 6, Chiquinho 7, Florentino 6, Fredrik Aursnes 6, Rafa Silva 6, Joao Mario 6, Goncalo Ramos 6.

Subs: David Neres 7.

Inter: Andre Onana 7, Alessandro Bastoni 8, Francesco Acerbi 7, Matteo Darmian 7, Federico Dimarco 6, Henrikh Mkhitaryan 7, Marcelo Brozovic 7, Nicolo Barella 7, Denzel Dumfries 6, Edin Dzeko 6, Lautaro Martinez 6.

Subs: Joaquin Correa 6, Romelu Lukaku 7, Gosens 6, Danilo D’Ambrosio N/A, Stefan de Vrij N/A.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

51′ – GOAL! BENFICA 0-1 INTER: INTER GET THE OPENER WITH BARELLA SCORING HIS SECOND CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GOAL OF THE SEASON. It’s a cross from Bastoni, and Barella easily heads it home at the near post. Poor marking from Benfica there!

57′ – BENFICA ALMOST EQUALISE! Joao Mario crosses the ball to Rafa Silva, who shoots. It’s a weak shot however, and as Benfica players all try and poke it home, it’s Bastoni who clears it away.

77′ – SAVE! Vlachodimos comes up big, with a huge save to deny Dumfries. The Inter player gets on the follow-up as well, but Morato blocks it with his foot from close range.

79′ – VAR CHECK! We’re getting a VAR check on a potential handball in the box. Inter could get a spot-kick here! Michael Oliver is at the monitor, but the monitor is stuck on the UEFA logo, and the fans boo as they are forced to wait.

80′ – PENALTY! The screen finally loads, and Oliver doesn’t take long to make his decision. Dumfries’ cross hits Joao Mario’s arm, and it’s deemed a penalty!

82′ – GOAL! BENFICA 0-2 INTER: LUKAKU SCORES THE PENALTY AND DOUBLES INTER’S LEAD. It’s a stuttering run-up, but the ball rolls into the bottom right corner past Vlachodimos who guesses correctly. The shot is just too powerful for him to make the save.

KEY STATS

• Barella’s opener was Inter’s first shot on target of the game, coming in the 51st minute.
• Benfica conceded their third penalty goal in this season’s Champions League, the joint-most of any side in the competition, level with Dinamo Zagreb.