Benfica’s fate as one of the top two teams in Group D is up in the air after a pair of losses to Real Sociedad, who also won today. Inter have four points heading into their upcoming doubleheader with Salzburg.
86′ IMPORTANT SAVE! Martinez, the striker for Inter, was singled out by Mkhitaryan’s cutback in the box, but Trubin was there to make another save with his outstretched leg! El Toro takes a shot from 10 yards out that is powerful and low, but the Ukrainian goalkeeper makes a fantastic save to keep the score at 1-0!
83′ MISS! Soon after getting off the bench, Cabral immediately recognizes a potential window of opportunity. The Brazilian striker manages to get a shot off from a difficult angle on the right side of the field, but he sends it a significant distance wide of the near post.
78′ It appears that Di Maria is going to make a break for it from the midway line, but his aging legs let him down, and Calhanoglu is able to chase down and grab the ball just outside Inter’s penalty area. The referee then blows his whistle for offside, but unfortunately for Di Maria, he has sustained an injury in the process.
76′ Benfica is able to clear an Inter corner that was taken from the right, but they are having a hard time keeping up with their hosts at this point. What a sharp contrast this is to the first half, when they battled it out on an even playing field; it’s difficult to imagine where an equalizer may come from at this point in the game.
74′ DOUBLE CHANCE! Martinez was able to get a shot on goal thanks to an error committed by Otamendi, but the captain of Benfica made a heroic save to prevent Martinez from going around Trubin and scoring the goal! Then, the ball is given to Martinez once more, but Trubin spreads himself out and makes a critical stop with his leg!
64′ Mkhitaryan makes rapid progress from midfield to the perimeter of the playing field, as Morato, clearly shaken, retreats away from him. However, his shot is aimed a considerable way to the left of the left post and went wide as a result.
62′ GOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!!! INTER TOOK THE LEAD! The Nerazzurri take the lead for the first time at San Siro when Thuram finishes after a cutback from the right byline provided by Dumfries. Inter was rewarded for their persistent start to the second half as the French attacker kept his cool to finish his chance from 12 yards out, and the goal put them ahead.
61′ OFF THE POST! Martinez’s shot once again hits the crossbar, but he really ought to have scored this time! Inter’s captain takes a free shot from a distance of less than 10 yards and hits the post on the left. After that, Benfica are successful in their attempt to clear the rebound.
56′ Trubin makes a momentary error by dropping Dimarco’s cutback from the left byline, but he recovers soon enough to prevent Thuram from pounce-scoring on the loose ball. Benfica have been shaken up for the first time in this match, but they have maintained their composure thus far.
55′ Martinez takes a shot for Inter that is aimed for the upper-right corner of the net, but the ball hits the underside of the crossbar and goes out of play. Inter’s attempt to score hits the woodwork. Then, as a follow-up, Trubin makes a fantastic save at his near post, preventing Barella’s attempt from close range! The pressure is getting turned up on Inter now!
54′ After making an overlapping run on the left, Bastoni gets all the way to the byline; he then stands a ball up for Dumfries, who is arriving at the back post; however, Thuram also jumps for it, and neither of them can make effective touch with the ball.
52′ After Calhanoglu took a corner kick from the right, the ball ultimately found its way to Dimarco who was more than 20 yards out. However, Dimarco’s audacious shot went well wide of the right-hand post.
51′ After Barella sets up a volley for Martinez just beyond the box, Otamendi makes a vital block, and a sea of white Benfica shirts stood between Inter’s captain and Trubin’s goal.
49′ Following a challenge from Bernat, Martinez lands awkwardly on his hand. He grimaces in pain as the medics wrap it up, and then ‘El Toro’ returns to the ring to continue the fight.
48′ After Barella has crossed the ball into the box from the right side, Thuram chests the ball down close to the penalty spot, but he is unable to get his shot off. Up to this point in the match, the Inter striker has had a difficult time.
45′ Rafa Silva almost manages to break clear of two Inter defenders on the left, but a back-tracking Mkhitaryan does enough to steer the ball out for a corner kick. In the beginning, Sommer drops the subsequent cross, but she quickly picks it up.
42′ SAVE! After picking up the ball on the left side of the penalty area, Barella unleashed a stinging shot from a low angle, but Trubin was quick to react and palmed the ball wide for a corner kick!
40′ Di Maria tries to swing the ball in from the right, but his cross is blocked. Then, after the consequent throw-in, Inter squeezes Benfica back, and there’s no way through.
38′ Another period of ball control for Benfica does nothing more than cause Inter to return to a rather deep defensive shape. The visitors have had very few chances to go in behind the Nerazzurri so far today, and Sommer has only been called upon to make one significant stop.
36′ After Dimarco takes a free kick from the left side, Acerbi finds himself in space inside the penalty area, but he is unable to direct his header in the right direction. As it turns out, the Inter defender was playing with an illegal defensive position anyway.
34′ Kokcu attempts to beat Mkhitaryan with a dangerous throw from a free kick out on the right touchline, but he is unsuccessful, and Inter ultimately succeeds in clearing their lines. Today, we have only managed to get one shot on target so far.
29′ Dimarco hits his free kick directly into the defensive wall of Benfica, and then after a rapid counterattack, Neres is just shepherded out of play by Barella at the other end of the field.
28′ Thuram is brought to the ground by Morato in the perimeter of the penalty area, which results in Inter earning a free kick in an advantageous location. Inter has a number of capable players to choose from if they choose to take the kick.
26 ‘Martinez starts a rapid counterattack, but Barella is unable to quite meet Dimarco’s cross from the left, and then the Inter midfielder gets the ball on the right and chips it harmlessly into the gloves of Trubin.
24′ After being played in by Thuram and having space to measure up a shot from 25 yards out, Calhanoglu is unable to deliver the long-range expertise that is typical of him and instead fires a low, scuffed effort straight at Trubin, who is playing goalkeeper for Benfica.
21′ As play comes to a standstill, Bah is still lying on the ground and needs medical attention. He is a member of the Benfica back line. Araujo is actively warming up on the sidelines, and it looks like we’ll be seeing him on the field very soon.
19 Both of Thuram’s attempts to make complete contact with crosses, one from each side, are unsuccessful because the crosses are put in at a height that prevents the French forward from making an effective attack. Despite this, Inter is beginning to establish a rhythm in its assault.
14′ OFF THE BAR! After Sommer made the save, Di Maria took the subsequent corner kick and sent his inswinging delivery past the head of the goalkeeper and into the top of the crossbar!
13′ SAVE! Aursnes is denied by Sommer as he moves to his left and drops down. Benfica’s Norwegian midfielder receives the ball just outside the box after it has been played long from the back. He allows the ball to bounce into his path before sending a low shot toward the bottom-right corner of the goal: However, the goalkeeper for Inter is up to the challenge!
11′ MISS! Calhanolgu plays a great throughball that gets past several Benfica players and finds Dumfries, who typically enters the penalty area late from the right wing. However, the Dutchman is unable to maintain control of his header when it is at its furthest point, and he misses the target.
8′ Rafa Silva goes down after being brought down by Dumfries, and Benfica wins a free-kick in the middle of the field as the away team continues to hold their own in the opening minutes.
4′ Mkhitaryan was only able to get the tip of his boot to a fantastic low cross along the box that was delivered by Dumfries, sending it well wide of the target. It turned out that he was offside in any case, so it didn’t matter.
3′ Benfica recycle the ball, and then Joao Neves provides some catching practice with an overhit cross that is headed directly towards Sommer in the six-yard box. This occurs after Neres sends a dangerous cross over from the right side of the field.
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