Inter 1-0 AC Milan (3-0 on aggregate) – Lautaro Martinez adds final flourish as Inter reach Champions League final

Inter Milan are into the Champions League final after Lautaro Martinez’s goal secured a 1-0 win over AC Milan and a 3-0 aggregate victory at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

With the onus on Milan to attack, the first half was their strongest of the tie, but they still could not break through the stubborn Inter backline.

Brahim Diaz squandered their best chance when he received a cutback unmarked and 12 yards from goal, but his tame effort was brilliantly saved by Andre Onana. The goalkeeper should never have been given a chance to make a stop, no matter how impressive.

The fit-again Rafael Leao also come close, but shot narrowly wide after reminding everyone what Milan missed in the first leg with a surging run.

Inter took what little sting there was out of the match following the break and put the end result beyond doubt on 74 minutes, when Martinez played a one-two with Romelu Lukaku and crashed in a near-post shot.

Mike Maignan, impressive throughout the tie, denied Martinez and Lukaku late on to stop it becoming a rout, but that nor a flurry of yellow cards could take the gloss off a wonderful night for Inter.

Inter have not reached the Champions League final since the 2009-10 season, when they won the competition as part of a historic treble under Jose Mourinho, and a double could yet be on the cards this time around as they face Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia final a week tomorrow.

TALKING POINT – Too little, too late from Milan

Given who they lost to, and given it never felt at any stage like they had gone all-in, this defeat will stick in the craw for Milan and sums up a season which is unravelling.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH – Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)

Martinez was full of energy in defending from the front and deserved his goal when it came.

Disciplined off the ball and clinical when a big chance came his way, Martinez encapsulates why Inter won this tie.

PLAYER RATINGS

Inter Milan: Onana 7, Dumfries 6, Darmian 7, Acerbi 8, Bastoni 7, Dimarco 7, Barella 7, Calhanoglu 6, Mkhitaryan 6, Martinez 8, Dzeko 6. Subs: Brozovic 6, Lukaku 7, Gosens 6, Correa 6, Gagliardini 6.

AC Milan: Maignan 7, Calabria 7, Thiaw 6, Tomori 5, Hernandez 6, Tonali 4, Krunic 5, Messias 5, Diaz 5, Leao 6, Giroud 4. Subs: Kalulu 5, Origi 5, Saelemaekers 5.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

SUPER ONANA SAVE 11′ – With Inter wanting the game stopped as they felt Barella was fouled, Milan play on and Tonali goes on a powerful run down the left. Tonali gets to the byline and cuts the ball back to Diaz – unmarked, 12 yards out – but his side-footed shot is smothered by Onana.

LEAO COMES WITHIN A WHISKER 38′ – Leao comes to life as he beats out Darmian at a 50-50 then charges towards the byline, beats Darmian a second time and shoots from a tight angle – but the ball bobbles just wide of the far post.

MAIGNAN DENIES MARTINEZ 39′ – Inter win a free kick and from it Martinez helps a cross goalwards, but Maignan bundles off the line.

A DISTURBANCE IN THE MILAN BOX 52′ – Acerbi stamps on Tonali’s foot and Tonali goes down in a heap. Milan players want a VAR review but there will not be one.

MARTINEZ SEALS IT 74′ – Martinez plays a one-two with Lukaku in the Milan box, beating the offside trap, and fires a low shot past Maignan at the near post to seal the deal.

KEY STAT

Inter have beaten Milan four times in the same season for the first time in 50 years.