Lautaro Martinez seals Inter’s place in Champions League final
Posted by  badge Boss on May 17, 2023 - 01:30PM
Lautaro Martinez sealed Inter’s 1-0 victory over AC Milan at San Siro (AP)

Inter have secured their place in the final following a 1-0 win over at San Siro on Tuesday evening.

Lautaro Martinez’s goal in the 74th minute sealed the victory for Inter, who beat their Serie A rivals 2-0 in the first leg last week.

Simone Inzaghi’s side have reached the Champions League final for the first time since 2010 where they won the trophy under Jose Mourinho.

Inter will now play either or , whose second leg at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening is finely poised following their 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu last Tuesday.

The Champions League final will be held at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium on June 10.

Lautaro Martinez struck in the second half to complete Inter’s 3-0 win on aggregate (UEFA via Getty)
Lautaro Martinez went wild with Inter’s supporters after his goal (AP)

‘I often hold back but there’s a lot of history here. There’s a lot of history in this game. I told the boys, I felt it,’ Martinez said after Inter’s win.

‘We did very well in the two games. The unity of the group is too important, I lived it at the World Cup and passed it on to the group.

‘We have shown that Inter deserved to experience these moments. I try to improve every day and help my teammates.’

Speaking about the prospect of his first Champions League final with Inter, Martinez said: ‘Now the final must be played like the last game, which it is, we must now try to get as high as possible.

‘After becoming world champion I could also become European champion, but I don’t even want to think about it.’

Meanwhile, AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli defended the manner of his side’s exit after thgey failed to register a shot on target in the second half on Tuesday night.

‘It’s not fair to talk about desire, the players gave their all, Inter deserved it, they won both games,’ Pioli said.

‘We missed out in the first 15 minutes of the first leg, today we did better by creating three chances, it’s a shame we got this far with great merit and we hoped to do better.

Olivier Giroud and AC Milan missed out on a place in the Champions League final (AFP via Getty)

‘I’m disappointed, for our path it would have been something exceptional and incredible, who counts who wins and not who reaches the final. Not succeeding is a big disappointment, it’s a more complicated season than expected he taught us so much.

‘If one is objective enough and sees the path of the youngest group to winning a Scudetto, it is difficult to speak of a negative path.

‘We tried to be competitive in two competitions, we made a great Champions League, went out in the semi final, above all in a derby, it’s normal to be disappointed.

‘My regrets are mainly for the league, I tried to raise the morale of the players and I said to finish well, we can’t finish with negativity and I’m sure we can start again with certainties, the team base is excellent.’

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