3 reasons contributed to Inter Milan’s return to the Champions League quarter-finals after 12 years

Italian side Inter Milan returned to the quarter-finals of the European Champions League in the 2022-2023 season for the first time in 12 years, after defeating its rival Porto in home and away matches, with a clean sheet to ensure official passage from the “Drago” stadium in Lisbon.

Arrogant defense

Italian side Inter Milan’s defense produced one of its best defensive performances throughout the 90 minutes as Porto struggled to prevent a goal and kept a clean sheet throughout the match, especially in the final minutes. In these minutes, the team saved a ball from the goal line and the defenders struggled to deal with the shots, deflect the ball and cover the dangerous crosses of the Portuguese team Porto.

destination during the journey

Of course, the merit was not due to strong defending in the second leg, but rather the goal scored in the first leg, the goal that kept Inter in both matches and beat Porto. Also, the Italian coach Simone Inzaghi snatched the win in the first 90 minutes and defended the victory in the second 90 minutes in typical Italian style, leading the “Nerrazuri” to the quarter-finals after 12 years. The last time Inter reached the quarter-finals was in the 2010-2011 season.

Porto’s misfortune

Porto’s bad luck against Inter in the second leg played a big part in the Italian team’s qualification for the quarter-finals. Statistically, the team were goal-worthy (1.5 expected goals), hitting 21 balls on target and creating 4 dangerous 4 runs. Also, his possession rate reached approximately 68%, indicating excellent control, but luck betrayed Porto in 90 minutes and did not honor him with a “deserved” goal, at least despite all the missed chances.