Thursday April 17, 2025
Inter Milan's Nicolo Barella (R) vies with Bayern Munich's Harry Kane during the match in Milan, Italy, April 16, 2025. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)
Inter Milan advanced to the Champions League semifinals after a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich at San Siro on Wednesday, securing a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Having earned a 2-1 win in the first leg at the Allianz Arena last week, Inter fielded its strongest available lineup, including the returning Federico Dimarco. Bayern remained plagued by injuries, with Jamal Musiala among the absentees, though Kingsley Coman made his return.
Neither side created clear-cut chances in a cagey first half. The match opened up after the break, with Harry Kane putting Bayern ahead in the 52nd minute, eluding Dimarco to slot in a low strike and level the aggregate score.
Inter responded six minutes later. A corner kick fell to Lautaro Martinez, whose initial header deflected off Joshua Kimmich. Martinez reacted quickly to fire home from close range put Inter back in front on aggregate.
The Nerazzurri capitalized on their momentum just three minutes later when Hakan Calhanoglu delivered another corner that found former Bayern defender Benjamin Pavard, who rose for a powerful header home.
Bayern leveled the match in the 76th minute through a bizarre goal. Serge Gnabry lofted in a cross that Eric Dier headed from the byline, the ball looping high into the air and dropping into the net.
Bayern nearly snatched a dramatic late winner, but Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer denied Thomas Muller's close-range header in the dying moments.
With the draw, Inter reached another Champions League semifinals after 22-23. The Italian side will face Barcelona, which eliminated Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.