Inter 2-2 Bayern (agg: 4-3): Nerazzurri hold on to seal semi-final place

Goals from Lautaro Martínez and former Bayern defender Benjamin Pavard helped Inter reach the last four for the second time in three seasons despite some fierce late pressure from the German side.

Match in brief: Inter cut off Bayern comeback

Pavard celebrates scoring against his former sideAFP via Getty Images

Both teams kept faith with the majority of their starting line-ups from the first leg, with Thomas Müller, scorer of the equaliser in Munich, restored to the Bayern side and Federico Dimarco making his return from injury, and both were heavily involved in the opening exchanges.

Müller forced the first save six minutes in with a skidding drive following a neat turn on the edge of the area after collecting Michael Olise's pass, while Dimarco was unable to add the finish to a sweeping move from the hosts, drilling his low effort straight at Jonas Urbig.

The 35-year-old Müller was in the thick of the action again as Bayern aimed to breach a Nerazzurri defence that had conceded just once on home soil in this season's competition, the visitors stepping up the pressure following a Hakan Çalhanoğlu curler that flew narrowly wide.

A Joshua Kimmich volley and an acrobatic Leroy Sané strike were both claimed by Yann Sommer late in the first half, the Swiss international aiming for an eighth clean sheet in the Champions League this term.

Kane drew Bayern level in the tieGetty Images

Harry Kane had other ideas soon after the interval, and pulled his side level in the tie when steering a precise finish into the far corner from the right of the area when it appeared the hosts' back line had all angles covered.

However, the Serie A leaders hit back with two goals in the space of four minutes either side of the hour, captain Lautaro Martínez instigating the fightback with a powerful, opportunistic finish after the visitors were unable to clear following a corner.

With Simone Inzaghi's men in the ascendancy, the 2009/10 winners made the most of another set piece when former Bayern defender Benjamin Pavard timed his leap perfectly to meet Çalhanoğlu's outswinging delivery from the right and plant a fierce header high into the net.

Dier squeezed his looping header in to give Bayern hopeGetty Images

The Bundesliga leaders surged forward in the final 15 minutes and set up a nervy finish from a well-worked dead-ball routine themselves, Eric Dier somehow finding the net with a looping header from a tight angle after a pinpoint delivery from substitute Serge Gnabry.

Bayern pushed for the goal that would have forced extra time and almost capitalised on some hesitation in the home defence with added time approaching, but Kane could only hook a half-volley over.

Müller and Kingsley Coman both came close to levelling on aggregate as time ticked down, but Inter held out to seal a semi-final place and set up a repeat of the 2009/10 semi-final against Barcelona, dashing the Munich outfit's hopes of reaching the final on home soil in the process.

PlayStation® Player of the Match: Lautaro Martínez (Inter)

"For his important goal, clever movement, his understanding with strike partner Thuram and others, as well as his hard work for the team."
UEFA Technical Observer Group

PlayStation® Player of the Match Lautaro MartínezInter via Getty Images

Paolo Menicucci, reporter

Inter book their place in a mouthwatering last-four tie after an exciting and entertaining draw, the momentum of the game changing quickly like the direction of the strong wind blowing for the entire 90 minutes in Milan. Bayern never gave up, not even after Inter's quickfire double strike following Kane's opener, but Inzaghi's men finally prevailed 4-3 on aggregate.

Reaction 

Simone Inzaghi, Inter coach: "It was a beautiful evening in front of our fans against a very strong team. We had to play two great games, giving everything we had. The lads were splendid; it's a victory to share with the entire Inter world. Let's move forward in this season that is giving us so many emotions. Bayern never lowered the intensity, but we responded blow for blow."

Marcus Thuram, Inter striker, speaking to Amazon Prime: "I'm very happy; we played like a top team. It was difficult, but we did it. Lautaro played like a captain, as he always does. At the end, we were all tired, but we did it."

Yann Sommer, Inter goalkeeper, speaking to Amazon Prime: "We played a good game against a strong opponent. In the second half we defended really well as a team. I know Bayern well; they put you under this strong pressure, and we were too low. But we defended as a team; that's how victories come. We saw today that we'll have to give it our all in every game. We're happy to have eliminated a contender; we'll see how far we can go."

Vincent Kompany, Bayern coach: "We had some regrets in the first game and even more in the second. A lot felt right today. There were two moments in which we should have done better, but we have to also recognise Inter's quality. Still, I believe that we created enough to score more goals than Inter."

Key stats

• Bayern captain Müller made his 163rd Champions League appearance, drawing level with Lionel Messi – only Iker Casillas (177) and Cristiano Ronaldo (183) have featured more.
• Kane has now struck in each of Bayern's last six Champions League knockout ties.
• Martínez registered for the fifth Champions League match in a row, becoming the first Inter player to do so.
• Pavard scored his first Inter goal on his 50th career match in the Champions League.
• The former Bayern defender's goal was his first in Europe since November 2022, when he scored for the Bundesliga club against Inter.
• The Serie A side are unbeaten in 15 Champions League home matches (W12 D3), since a 2-0 defeat against Bayern in the group stage in September 2022.

Fantasy star performers

Lautaro Martínez: 9 points
Benjamin Pavard: 8 points
Eric Dier: 8 points

Line-ups

Inter: Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni (Bisseck 88); Darmian, Barella (Frattesi 88), Çalhanoğlu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (Augusto 73); Lautaro Martínez (Taremi 81), Thuram

Bayern: Urbig; Laimer (Coman 83), Dier, Kim (Guerreiro 65), Stanišić; Kimmich, Goretzka (Pavlović 83); Olise, Müller, Sané (Gnabry 65); Kane