Inter Milan 2-0 Borussia Dortmund: Five men who were impressive for the Nerazurri | Champions League 2019/20
Inter Milan welcomed Borussia Dortmund to the San Siro on Wednesday in a Champions League fixture knowing very well that they needed a win to keep hopes of qualification to the knockout stages alive. The Nerazzurri were on a fantastic run in the Serie A, but their form in the UEFA Champions League this season had not been impressive.
Inter started their campaign with a draw against Slavia Praha, while they lost their last game to Barcelona. The Serie A giants were under a lot of pressure having acquired just one point after two games. Their opponents, on the other hand, were riding high in the group.
Dortmund entered the tie at the top of the group, after a win and a draw from their first two games. The Bundesliga side was yet to concede a goal in the tournament and had not lost a game in all competitions since the start of September. However, their defense had failed to impress this season and it was an opportunity that Antonio Conte was looking to exploit. The Italians were winless against German opposition in the Champions League since March 2011 so Conte was aware of the task at hand and named his first eleven accordingly
Inter Milan starting XI: Samir Handanović; Diego Godin, Milan Škriniar, Stefan de Vrij; Antonio Candreva, Nicolò Barella, Marcelo Brozović, Kwadwo Asamoah, Roberto Gagliardini; Lautaro Martínez, Romelu Lukaku.
Inter took the lead through Lautaro Martinez in the 22nd minute. Dortmund failed to cause the home side too much trouble for the rest of the half and the game went into the break with Inter leading 1-0. After the break, the visitors came knocking at the door on quite a few occasions, but could not find a breakthrough. Inter then won a penalty but Martinez’s shot was saved by Roman Burki. However, the home side doubled their lead through Candreva in the 89th minute and went on to win the game 2-0. Here are the five players who were impressive for Inter Milan.
All stats via Whoscored.com
#5 Nicolo Barella
The 22-year-old had an impressive stint in midfield against Dortmund. Nicolo Barella had 61 touches on the ball and attempted 40 passes with 88% accuracy. He was the brawn in the midfield for the home side, registering a game-high 8 tackles with 75% success rate. Barella ensured that the visitors were always under pressure and he helped his team stay in control of the game.
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