INTER SEE OFF ATLETICO MADRID IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LAST 16 FIRST LEG; DORTMUND HELD BY PSV
Inter put one foot in the quarter-final of the Champions League as they saw off Atletico Madrid 1-0 in their last-16 first leg on Tuesday.
Marko Arnautovic’s second-half strike fired Inter to a victory which they just-about deserved, while over in Eindhoven, Luuk de Jong’s penalty earned PSV a 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund to take into the return leg on March 13.
Here’s how the action unfolded in both games.
Inter 1-0 Atletico Madrid
Inter had to battle to victory
A cautious start from both teams kept chances at a premium in the opening stages. Samuel Lino skewed a tricky effort wide for the visitors, while Inter’s failure to get a clear sight of the Atletico goal led to audible groans from those in attendance.
The first shot on target of the game came 36 minutes in thanks to a header from Lautaro Martinez, and the Argentine perhaps should have scored soon after when he found an inch of a space in the box, but a split-second of hesitation allowed Atleti to clear and keep the score level at the break.
Arnautovic missed a glorious chance to open the scoring shortly after the interval as Inter really began to stamp their authority on proceedings.
The introduction of Alvaro Morata made an instant impact for Atletico, with the striker immediately involved in two excellent chances, but Arnautovic would miss another sitter down at the other end to keep fans guessing which way this game would go.
With ten minutes to go, Arnautovic finally found the back of the net, slamming home the rebound after Jan Oblak had saved from Martinez.
PSV 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
The two sides exchanged pressure early on but Dortmund’s quality began to tell midway through the first half. Donyell Malen drew a smart save from Walter Benitez but there was no stopping his next effort, which took a wicked deflection on its way to the top corner 24 minutes in.
PSV could have forced themselves level shortly before the break but Johan Bakayoko volleyed wide and Malik Tillman’s effort was well kept out by Alexander Meyer.
The Eredivisie leaders maintained their momentum after the break and deservedly tied things up from the spot. Tillmann was felled by Mats Hummels and up stepped De Jong to restore parity.
Both goalkeepers were busy for the remainder of the game, although neither was forced into anything spectacular, with a draw a fair result.
