Inter Milan vs Benfica score, result as wild 3-3 draw sends Nerazzurri to Champions League semis

Joe Wright

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Inter Milan vs Benfica score, result as wild 3-3 draw sends Nerazzurri to Champions League semis image

Inter Milan will face AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League semifinals after overcoming Benfica at the quarterfinal stage 5-3 on aggregate.

The Nerazzurri led 2-0 from the first leg thanks to Nicolo Barella and Romelu Lukaku goals in Portugal, and Barella was the man who broke the deadlock in the second leg at San Siro, curling home a sublime finish in the first half.

Fredrik Aursnes equalised with a bullet header before halftime, but Lautaro Martinez struck midway through the second half to restore Inter's three-goal aggregate advantage, leaving Benfica's chances of a first semifinal in this competition since 1990 looking slim.

A late header from Antonio Silva and a low finish from Petar Musa with practically the last kick of the game saw Benfica draw on the night, but the tie was long since over.

MORE: Path to the Champions League final for Inter Milan

Inter Milan vs Benfica final score

  Final (Agg.)
Inter 3 (5)
Benfica 3 (3)

Goals: 

INT — Nicolo Barella (Lautaro Martinez) — 14th min.
BEN — Fredrik Aursnes (Rafa Silva) — 38th min.
INT — Lautaro Martinez(Federico Dimarco) — 65th min.
INT — Joaquin Correa (Federico Dimarco) — 78th min.
BEN — Antonio Silva (Alex Grimaldo) — 86th min.
BEN — Petar Musa (David Neres) — 90+4 min.

Barella's exquisite turn and powerful finish had San Siro on its feet and left Benfica fans feeling forlorn, but a thumping Aursnes header just before the interval did at least give the visitors a lifeline in the tie.

Roger Schmidt's visitors attacked with a little more intensity in the second half and Aursnes was unfortunate not to win a penalty from a late challenge from Lautaro Martinez. The Inter striker slid in to stop an attempted shot but made no contact with the ball, and it seemed strange VAR did not deem the challenge worthy of a second look.

Benfica's frustrations were compounded when Martinez turned in a cut-back from the excellent Federico Dimarco and restored Inter's two-goal cushion, effectively ending the contest. Joaquin Correa made sure of that two minutes after coming on, leaving Nicolas Otamendi for dead and whipping a shot in off the post.

By now, the boisterous Inter fans were in party mode and looking ahead to the semifinal showdown with their city rivals. A looping header from Antonio Silva and a controlled finish on the turn from Petar Musa barely dampened the celebrations, although they did at least mean Benfica avoided a fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions.

Milan derby back on the biggest stage

The last time Inter Milan and AC Milan met in a Champions League semifinal was 20 years ago, when the Rossoneri went on to win the trophy after defeating another Italian side, Juventus, in the final at Old Trafford.

The last time they played in any kind of European tie at all was at the quarterfinal stage of this competition in 2005 — a contest best remembered for the iconic photo of Marco Materazzi and Rui Costa staring into a smoky red abyss after flares thrown from the crowd interrupted the game.

Marco Materazzi Rui Costa Inter Milan 2015

It's been too long since these two faced off in Europe's biggest competition. This year's two-legged affair is likely to be one that the city of Milan will not quickly forget.

Neither side was expected to reach this stage and, certainly, whoever progresses to a final against either Real Madrid or Manchester City will be the underdogs. But maybe this season will herald a return of Serie A sides consistently challenging for the club game's greatest prize. Italian football is making waves in the Champions League again, and few neutrals would begrudge seeing this fixture a little more often.

Antonio Silva belongs in the Champions League

This was the 10th game Antonio Silva has started in the Champions League. Among outfield players, only four others have ever started as many matches in this competition while still teenagers.

There's a reason.

Teenage players are not supposed to play on stages like this, under this sort of pressure, and thrive. It is unusual for a younger footballer to possess the mental and physical fortitude to cope with regular games at this level, even if they boast the talent to mix it with the best.

On this evidence, this will not be the last we see of Antonio Silva in the Champions League knockouts.

The 19-year-old was calm and composed alongside the more experienced and, yes, more erratic club captain Nicolas Otamendi. He has the combination of strength and passing ability that the very best sides look for in their centre-backs. He even got himself a goal tonight, as if to underline that he, at least, deserved more from this tie.

Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Liverpool and Manchester United have all been linked with Silva, who reportedly has a release clause of €100 million (£88m/$109.6m). It's hard to imagine a team paying quite that much, but there is no question that this is a player who looks at home among the elite.

Confirmed lineups:

Inter Milan (3-5-2, right to left): Onana (GK) — Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni (D'Ambrosio, 80) — Dumfries, Barella (Calhanoglu, 76), Brozovic, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (Gosens, 80) — Martinez (Correa, 76), Dzeko (Lukaku, 76)

Inter subs: Handanovic, Cordaz, Gagliardini, De Vrij, Bellanova, Asllani, Carboni

Benfica (4-2-3-1, right to left): Vladchodimos (GK) — Gilberto (Neres, 46), Antonio Silva, Otamendi, Grimaldo — Florentino, Chiquinho (Joao Neves, 80) — Joao Mario (Schjelderup, 89), Rafa (Musa, 80), Aursnes — Ramos (Guedes, 74)

Benfica subs: Samuel Soares, Andre Gomes, Lucas Verissimo, Morato, Mihailo, Cher Ndour, Tengstedt

Inter Milan vs Benfica live updates, highlights from Champions League

Final: Inter Milan 3-3 Benfica (5-3 aggregate)

90 + 4 mins: BENFICA DRAW LEVEL! Grimaldo does really well again and drills a cross in from the left. It deflects kindly into the path of Musa, who shoots low from 12 yards beneath Onana! The game is over, the tie is over, but Benfica have at least avoided a fourth consecutive match loss in all competitions.

90th min: Benfica are still working hard, but this tie has largely been over since that excellent early goal from Barella. We'll have four added minutes here.

86th min: BENFICA SCORE AGAIN! Grimaldo swings in a good cross from the right, Antonio Silva rises highest and loops a header over Onana. They couldn't, could they?

85th min: Brozovic passes it straight to Neves, who fires a shot off the base of the post. The ball skimmed the nose of Onana on its way out, and the Inter keeper is now having his nose patched up.

81st min: Plenty of subs being made as this tie is now over. One of those, Petar Musa, gets booked about 90 seconds after coming on for a pretty poor lunge on Calhanoglu.

78th min: GOOOAAAAAL FOR INTER! What a goal from Joaquin Correa! He receives Dimarco's pass, steps away from Otamendi onto his right foot, and whips a right-footed shot in off the far post from 18 yards out. He's been on the pitch for two minutes!

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75th min: Lukaku is on for these final 15 minutes, perhaps with the chance to force his way into the starting 11 for the semifinal. San Siro is BOUNCING right now.

69th min: Inter have a two-vs-one attack but Martinez's pass to Dzeko is cut out by Otamendi. Moments later, another break gives Dimarco the chance to shoot from 18 yards out, but Antonio Silva gets in the way.

65th min: INTER HAVE SURELY WON IT NOW! Di Marco combines with Henrikh Mkhitaryan down the left and speeds away from Aursnes and into the box. He fizzes the ball across and Martinez steers it high into the net to end his goal drought.

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60th min: Dzeko! Just wide. He gets across his marker but can't direct the header on target. It's the first real chance for the former Manchester City man, who's had a very quiet game.

57th min: We're settling into a familiar pattern now. Benfica are finally trying to force the issue, spending lots of time on the ball in Inter's half, while the Nerazzurri are happy to sit off and hit the visitors on the break.

53rd min: Good, positive run from Joao Mario into the box and Alessandro Bastoni makes a good challenge. From the resulting corner, Martinez slides in on Aursnes just as he tries to shoot, but the referee waves it away. We're going for a check, though... but no, no penalty. Martinez is lucky there!

48th min: There's been a fast start to this half! Neres drives into the box to the left and cuts the ball back — it's a good cross, but no red shirt is nearby. The excellent Dimarco covers.

47th min: A rare mistake by young Antonio Silva lets Lautaro Martinez run at the Benfica defence. He tries a curler from a good 30 yards out, and it wasn't too far away.

46th min: We're back underway. Benfica have made a change, bringing on attacker David Neres for defender Gilberto. Roger Schmidt is going for it.

HALFTIME: Inter Milan 1-1 Benfica (1-3 aggregate)

It's 1-1 on the night in Milan, so Inter still hold a two-goal lead as we head into the final half of football of this tie. Barella's opener was exquisite but a thumping Aursnes header means this one isn't quite over yet.

38th min: GOOOOAAAAAL FOR BENFICA! That's come out of nothing! Rafa receives the ball on the right and swings a cross towards the penalty spot, where Fredrik Aursnes outjumps Denzel Dumfries to power a header beyond Onana's reach. It was some finish, but Inter's defence went to sleep there, and Benfica have a lifeline.

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33rd min: Martinez has the ball in the net... but it's a free-kick to Benfica. The Inter striker quite clearly gave his marker a little shove in the back before heading in Dzeko's cross. No goal.

29th min: Andre Onana is called into action for the first time, diving to his left to keep out a dipping free-kick from Alex Grimaldo. Dimarco leads a counter-attack, but it comes to nothing.

23rd min: Goncalo Ramos finds a bit of space on the edge of the box and threads a ball through to Joao Mario, but Dimarco covers brilliantly to snuff out the danger.

18th min: Benfica had started the game fairly well but that piece of brilliance from Barella has sapped their confidence. Inter are now breaking on them with speed too easily, and a second Nerazzurri goal look more likely than a lifeline for the visitors.

14th min: GOOOOOOAAAAAAL FOR INTER! NICOLO BARELLA! Martinez and Edin Dzeko battle for possession before Barella steals in and skips past a despairing challenge. Inside the Benfica box, he checks back onto his weaker foot and curls a stunning finish into the top-left corner. Sensational goal from the man who scored first in Portugal — and one that might just have killed this contest.

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6th min: Lautaro Martinez had a chance to release Federico Dimarco on the break there but the pass was a touch too heavy. It's been a patient start to this game: Inter are happy to keep things tight, and Benfica don't seem prepared to force the issue just yet.

KO: Here we go, then! Who will go on to face AC Milan? Let's find out.

15 mins from kickoff: Quite the achievement by Antonio Silva tonight. Liverpool, Manchester United and Real Madrid have all been linked with the 19-year-old, but a release clause of €100 million (£88m/$109.6m) represents a pretty steep asking price for any teenager.

30 mins from kickoff: Benfica are in the building! What a welcome to San Siro.

1 hour 5 mins from kickoff: Inter's team is out, and it's as expected. Romelu Lukaku does indeed only make the bench, with Simone Inzaghi going with the same side that started the first leg.

Likewise, Benfica's team is as we predicted, so Joao Mario starts back on his old stomping ground. The only change from the first leg is in defence, with captain Nicolas Otamendi returning from suspension in place of Morato.

1 hour 15 mins from kickoff: Tonight is a big test for Joao Mario. A European champion at international level, the 30-year-old faces his former club back at the stadium where he spent five years from 2016 (although three of those saw him on loan elsewhere). He's certainly been an important player for Benfica until now: in this season's Champions League, only five players have created more goalscoring chances from open play than Joao Mario (15).

1 hour 30 mins from kickoff: AC Milan will be watching this game with interest, knowing they will face the winner of this tie. Here's how Stefano Pioli's side shocked Serie A leaders Napoli to progress to the last four.

1 hour 45 mins from kickoff: Benfica have not reached the semifinals of this competition since 1990, when they defeated Marseille on away goals. They lost the 1990 final 1-0 to AC Milan courtesy of a goal from Frank Rijkaard — and they will, of course, meet the Rossoneri in the last four this year if they can overturn their deficit to Inter.

2 hours from kickoff: Inter Milan hold a 2-0 lead over Benfica in the Champions League quarterfinals. See out the second leg, and they will face city rivals AC Milan in a major European semifinal for the first time in 20 years.

Inter Milan vs Benfica lineups

Inzaghi rested a number of players on the weekend ahead of this fixture, but Milan Skriniar is still out for Inter with a back injury, while Dalbert is recovering from a knee injury. Stefan de Vrij is on the bench after picking up an ankle injury in their last fixture, meaning the team is unchanged from the first leg.

Inter Milan confirmed starting lineup (3-5-2, right to left): Onana (GK) — Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni — Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco — Martinez, Dzeko

Inter Milan subs (12): Handanovic, Cordaz, Gagliardini, De Vrij, Gosens, Correa, Bellanova, Asllani, Calhanoglu, D'Ambrosio, Carboni, Lukaku

Alexander Bah is sidelined for Benfica with a knee problem, and Julian Draxler misses out with an ankle injury, but Roger Schmidt does at least welcome back captain Nicolas Otamendi from suspension.

Benfica confirmed starting lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Vladchodimos (GK) — Gilberto, Antonio Silva, Otamendi, Grimaldo — Florentino, Chiquinho — Joao Mario, Rafa, Aursnes — Ramos

Benfica subs (12): Samuel Soares, Andre Gomes, Lucas Verissimo, Morato, Mihailo, Joao Neves, Cher Ndour, Neres, Schjelderup, Guedes, Tengstedt, Musa

MORE: How AC Milan beat Napoli to reach first Champions League semifinal since 2007

Inter vs Benfica live stream, TV channel

  TV channel Streaming
Australia — Stan Sport
Canada — DAZN
Hong Kong beIN Sports 3 beIN Sports Connect
India Sony TEN 2 JioTV, Sony LIV
Malaysia beIN Sports 3 beIN Sports Connect,
sooka
New Zealand — Spark Sport
Singapore beIN Sports 3 beIN Sports Connect,
StarHubTV+
UK BT Sport 2 BT Sport site/app
USA — Paramount+, ViX, ViX+

UK: The match will be broadcast on BT Sport 2 and streamed on BT Sport platforms.

USA: This match will streamed on Paramount+ (English) and available for free in Spanish on ViX.com.

Canada: Every Champions League game streams live on DAZN.

Australia: Every UEFA Champions League match streams ad-free on Stan Sport, live and on demand.

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.