With a 3-3 draw against Benfica on Thursday at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Inter Milan went to their first UEFA Champions League semifinal since 2010, winning the match 5-3 on aggregate thanks to a two-goal advantage from the first leg.
Nicolo Barella’s spectacular strike from inside the box gave Inter the lead in the 13th minute, but a header from Fredrik Aursnes gave Benfica the equaliser in the 38th. The score was tied at 1-1 at the interval, with Inter winning the match overall.
Joaquin Correa and Lautaro Martinez both scored goals for Inter to increase their lead (78th minute). With 12 minutes remaining, Inter was up 3-1, and the situation appeared hopeless for Benfica.
But Benfica made a comeback in the game with two late goals. Defender Antonio Silva (86th minute) and substitute Petar Musa (90+5) were among the goals that equalised the scoreline at 3-3.
But on account of a 2-0 win in the first leg, Inter advanced to the final four. Inter will be facing AC Milan in the semifinals, with either of them set to become the first Italian side to reach the league final in six years. It is Inter’s first semifinal appearance since they clinched their third title back in 2010. Milan reached the semis of Europe’s top club competition on Tuesday after drawing 1-1 at Napoli to win their quarterfinal 2-1 on aggregate.