Inter Milan 1-2 Barcelona
As Champions League groups go, this was as tough as they get.
In fact, for the second successive season, the fates had not fallen kindly when it came to Inter Milan and group stage pairings.
Last year, they narrowly missed out on a place in the last 16 of a group that also included Barcelona, Spurs, and PSV Eindhoven.
This time it was largely Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund who stood in their way.
A night of drama in the San Siro, where the sides drew 13 months ago — when an 87th-minute Mauro Icardi goal earned Inter a 1-1 four minutes after Malcom had put Barça in front — was always likely.
Highlights of the game
The SBOBET Champions League betting odds favoured Internazionale and so did many of the omens.
That was because there was a genuine feeling the Catalan giants may take their foot off the gas.
With top spot in Group F long assured, it seemed likely coach Ernesto Valverde would shuffle his pack. It meant that the likes of Arturo Vidal, Carles Perez and Samuel Umtiti would start and they all did.
Moreover, it meant rests for a number of star men including Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique and Sergi Roberto. In fact, by my calculations only five of the starting XI would usually be included.
Inter were up against a Barcelona side who had not lost a group stage fixture for more than three years.
They also knew they almost certainly had to win with Dortmund clear favourites to see off Slavia Prague at home.
Yes the Nerazzurri were unbeaten in their last nine matches with La Liga opposition on home soil, but they had recorded just three wins during that run so it was far from clear cut.
With a passionate crowd behind them, Inter were determined to build on their impressive start to the 2019-20 Serie A campaign. Their draw at Roma, coupled with champions Juventus losing at Roma, has left them two points clear at the top of the table.
Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez have formed an impressive partnership and they needed to be on form, even against a weakened Barca.
Martinez gave an indication of his intentions inside the opening minute with a shot that was blocked and team-mate Cristiano Biraghi also threatened early on but this was far from one-sided and Perez and Moussa Wague had dangerous efforts before the former opened the scoring with a left-footed shot.
The offside trap failed as the ball ultimately came off Diego Godin who knocked it into Perez’s path.
Inter needed to react before the break and Martinez forced a tricky save on the half-volley from debutant Neto before Danilo D’Ambrosio’s header skimmed the woodwork from a Lukaku cross.
The pressure finally paid off a minute before the break as Martinez held up the ball on the edge of the box and found Lukaku who drilled home from just outside the penalty area, with the aid of a deflection.
Into the second half and the game remained end-to-end with Ivan Rakitic and Antoine Griezmann firing in efforts for Barcelona and the home strike duo a constant threat for Inter.
As news came through that Dortmund were leading 2-1, Inter’s coach Antonio Conte threw on Matteo Politano and Sebastiano Esposito for the final push.
Yet as the pressure built, Barcelona remained dangerous on the counter and duly scored the goal which broke Inter hearts.
Teenager Ansu Fati had only been on the pitch a minute when he rifled the ball from the edge of the box and it bounced in off the inside of the far post.
A 17-year-old to watch for Barca and the inquest for big-spending Conte will begin.
A tough group but criticism will now rightly come the Nerazzurri’s way.
Key statistics
Fati has become the youngest player to score in the history of the tournament (17 years and 40 days), beating Peter Oforiquaye’s previous record with Olympiacos against Rosenborg in October 1997 (17 years and 194 days).
This was Barcelona’s 150th UEFA Champions League win. Only Real Madrid have reached that landmark in the competition so far.
Barca have not failed to qualify for the knockout round of the Champions League since the 2000-01 season, while they have reached the last-16 stage or better in each of their last 16 campaigns.
The last seven Inter goals among Champions League and Serie A have been netted from strike duo Lukaku (3) and Martinez (4).
Barca have a mixed record away to Serie A opposition, winning seven, drawing 11, and losing seven of their 25 matches.
What’s next?
Inter Milan now have two Serie A fixtures before the domestic winter break. They travel to Fiorentina on Sunday (December 15) and then host Genoa on December 21.
Barcelona are at Real Sociedad this weekend before the ‘big one’ domestically. The first ‘El Clasico’ of the season takes place at the Nou Camp a week tonight (December 18).
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