Arnautovic bags the first - leg winner against Atletico!
Team
— Feb 20th 2024Inter will take a 1-0 lead to Spain following the Austrian's 78th-minute goal
A goal from Marko Arnautovic secured victory for Inter in their first-leg round of 16 clash against Atletico Madrid. At an extraordinarily loud San Siro, which paid tribute to Andreas Brehme before kick-off, Inzaghi’s men dominated the match for long periods, playing some very attacking football against a tough Atletico side who deployed a defensive 5-4-1 formation.
The Nerazzurri really upped the pressure after the break, with both Lautaro and Arnautovic, who had replaced Thuram (a muscle problem for the Frenchman) at half-time, coming close on several occasions. Oblak was finally beaten in the 78th minute: Lautaro saw his effort saved by the goalkeeper, but Arnautovic was there to convert on the follow-up. The Nerazzurri will thus take a narrow lead to Madrid for the second leg, which is scheduled for 13 March.
INTER 1-0 ATLETICO MADRID
Goalscorer: 79' Arnautovic (I)
INTER (3-5-2): 1 Sommer; 28 Pavard, 6 De Vrij, 95 Bastoni; 36 Darmian (2 Dumfries 69'), 23 Barella, 20 Calhanoglu, 22 Mkhitaryan (16 Frattesi 72'), 32 Dimarco (30 Carlos Augusto 69'); 9 Thuram (8 Arnautovic 46'), 10 Lautaro (70 Sanchez 88'). Substitutes: 12 Di Gennaro, 77 Audero, 14 Klaassen, 17 Buchanan, 21 Asllani, 31 Bisseck, 50 Stankovic. Head Coach: Simone Inzaghi.
ATLETICO MADRID (3-5-2): 13 Oblak; 20 Witsel, 2 Gimenez (15 Savic 46'), 22 Hermoso (23 Reinildo 68'); 16 Molina (24 Barrios 68'), 5 De Paul, 5 Koke, 8 Saul (19 Morata 54'), 12 Lino; 14 Llorente, 7 Griezmann (10 Correa 78'). Substitutes: 1 Moldovan, 31 Antonio Gomis, 4 Gabriel, 9 Depay, 17 Riquelme, 18 Vermeeren. Head Coach: Diego Pablo Simeone.
Booked: Hermoso (AM), Savic (AM), Morata (AM), Frattesi (I), Barrios (AM), Carlos Augusto (I) Added time: 1' - 5' Arbitro: István Kovács (ROM). Assistenti: Marinescu, Artene (ROM). Quarto ufficiale: Feșnic (ROM). VAR: Fritz (GER). Assistente VAR: Popa (ROU). Referee: István Kovács (ROM). Assistants: Marinescu, Artene (ROM). Fourth official: Feșnic (ROM). VAR: Fritz (GER). VAR assistant: Popa (ROU).
ROUND OF 16 FIRST-LEG FIXTURES AND RESULTS
Copenaghen 1-3 Manchester City Leipzig 0-1 Real Madrid PSG 2-0 Real Sociedad Lazio 1-0 Bayern Munich INTER 1-0 Atletico Madrid PSV 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
Wednesday 21 February, 21:00 CET Porto vs. Arsenal Napoli vs. Barcelona