European football’s top dogs jostle for coveted spot in Istanbul showdown
It’s still all-square between Real Madrid and Manchester City, but Inter Milan have one foot in the Champions League final
Lee U-Wen
IT’S half-time in the Champions League semi-finals, with the first legs done and dusted and the entire football world waiting with bated breath for the return leg next week.
There are just four teams – Manchester City, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Inter Milan – left standing in European football’s most prestigious club competition, and in a few days’ time that number will be whittled down to two.
Manchester City are the red-hot favourites to win the giant trophy this season, after they emerged unscathed from the first leg on Wednesday (May 10) against the defending champions Real Madrid, with the score level at 1-1.
Over in Italy, the two Milan giants slugged it out the next day and it was Inter Milan that stamped their authority by defeating their bitter rivals and neighbours AC Milan 2-0.
Here’s a closer look at the state of play heading into the second legs, as these teams look to seal their spot in the grand final at Istanbul’s 76,000-capacity Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Jun 11.
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The first team to book their place in the final will be either Inter Milan or AC Milan, with their return leg to take place next Wednesday (3am kickoff, Singapore time) at the San Siro Stadium.
Inter Milan have two English Premier League (EPL) old boys to thank for their two-goal advantage, as ex-Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko and former Manchester United midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan struck early in the first leg to give AC Milan a huge mountain to climb.
This setback was a tough pill to swallow for AC Milan and manager Stefano Pioli, as it’s the first time since 1995 that they’ve lost three straight games to Inter Milan in a single season.
AC Milan clinched a 3-2 win over Inter Milan in the league last September, but they went on to lose the next two clashes – 3-0 in the Super Cup in January, and 1-0 in Serie A in February.
It would be foolish to dismiss AC Milan’s chances of a recovery, given their pedigree in the Champions League. They’ve been crowned European champions seven times before, although their last triumph was 16 years ago in 2007.
Pioli is hoping his star striker Rafael Leao will be fit to play in the second leg, with the Portuguese international sitting out the first leg because of a stomach injury.
The 23-year-old, who this week inked a new contract that will keep him at AC Milan for another five years, has netted 12 times and delivered seven assists in Serie A this season.
Inter Milan, meanwhile, are purring at just the right moment, as manager Simone Inzaghi – the younger brother of AC Milan legend Filippo Inzaghi – aims to guide his team to a first Champions League final since 2010.
Incidentally, that year was also the last time an Italian team won the trophy, and this in-form Inter Milan will be quietly confident of their chances of winning the Champions League for a fourth time.
Inzaghi has a talented squad at his disposal, including Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku, Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez, Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana and Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries.
Of course, it’s not entirely impossible for AC Milan to overturn a two-goal deficit, but all signs point to Inter Milan confidently cruising to victory in the second leg.
Citizens on course for treble
Manchester City are still smarting after losing the Champions League final in 2021, but the Citizens took one big step towards erasing that hurt when they snatched a draw against Real Madrid in the first leg of the semi-finals.
City’s talismanic midfielder Kevin De Bruyne’s long-range goal in the second half cancelled out a similar strike by Vinicius Jr. Both sides had sufficient chances to win but it finished all-square at the Bernabeu in Madrid.
City also have home advantage at the Etihad Stadium in the second leg on Thursday (3am kickoff) – they are unbeaten in front of their own fans since November – and Pep Guardiola’s men will be looking to finish the job and oust the defending champions from the tournament.
As this season draws to a close, Manchester City remain on course for the treble – they are top of the EPL with four games to go, and in the final of the FA Cup where they will face Manchester United.
For Real Madrid, the Champions League is all they’ve left to play for this campaign. They have no chance of overhauling Barcelona in La Liga, so it’s all or nothing as they prepare to board the flight to Manchester.
Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois described the second leg as a “final” for the record 14-time Champions League winners.
“It will be like a final, and we are quite good at winning finals,” the 31-year-old shot-stopper said. “Hopefully we can mentalise it like that even though it is at City’s stadium and it will be tough for us.”
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