Martinez’s strike helps Inter beat Liverpool 1-0; they fail to qualify for quarters
Football has to be one of the strangest sports, where winning doesn’t guarantee success at times.
Yes, it might sound funny, but that is how a cup game played over two legs works. And while the fans enjoy this particular aspect of the game, sometimes it can become a little frustrating as well.
It was one of those frustrating nights for Inter Milan fans as they couldn’t guarantee success in the Champions League despite winning their away leg at Liverpool.
After suffering a humbling 2-0 defeat at San Siro, the Italian champions were looking for revenge. At least they started the game in that fashion.
There was some crispness in their passes, and everyone seemed to know what they were doing. However, they couldn’t convert their chances into goals.
On the other hand, Liverpool had lesser possession in the first half. They were quick on the counter though, which created good chances for them. Only they couldn’t find the back of the net either.
One of the biggest chances of the first half came in the 30th minute for Liverpool. It was Fabinho who got his head at the end of a powerful cross by Alexander-Arnold. And it seemed like a goal for certain until the ball rattled the post and bounced out.
Ruing over the chances they couldn’t convert, both the teams headed into the tunnels at halftime tied at 0-0.
The second half was more dominated by Liverpool in the possession department. They distributed the ball well enough to open more chances for their team, putting Inter under pressure.
All the pressure couldn’t amount to anything as Liverpool failed to score from two clear opportunities. Both times they could only manage to hit the post.
Laurato Martinez became the difference in two sides
While on the other side of the field, Lautaro Martinez put his side in the lead with a beautiful curler from outside the box.
Suddenly at 61 minutes, we had a game on. Only Inter couldn’t capitalize on it. Instead, they managed to get themselves a man down.
It was Sanchez who went into another stud-showing challenge that caught Fabinho. He was shown a second yellow for the night, followed by a red.
The depleted Inter side couldn’t fight back in the game as Liverpool kept coming at them. At the end of the day, they managed to keep a clean sheet but couldn’t qualify for the Quarters.
Liverpool couldn’t keep their undefeated streak going at Anfield. They were unbeaten at their home turf since March 2021. But they will be happy to have lost and still managed to qualify.
As things stand, we have two qualifiers for the next round of Champions League in the form of Liverpool and Bayern Munich.
