Inter Milan's defensive solidity suffered in the Champions League second leg against a very attack-minded and tactically sound Bayern Munich, but the 2-2 result showed that the Italians are also capable of hurting their opponents in every possible way.
The start of the match at the San Siro saw considerable pressure from a Bayern Munich side that relied on the return of Thomas Müller from the starting line-up, while Inter concentrated all their efforts on counter-attacks, especially with Marcus Thuram. During the first half, Bastoni was clearly important on the Italians' left flank in the attacking phases.
Bayern Munich's pressure gradually diminished during the rest of the first half, with dangerous chances only returning after 30 minutes, but goalkeeper Sommer did very well in the moments when he was required. After the break, there were too many goals in the second half, a direct reflection of the physical fatigue caused by so much intensity in the two games.
Bayern opened the scoring when Harry Kane had time to square his body and hit low to level the scores on aggregate, but Inter responded strongly with two goals of their own. Dimarco's corner into the box was met by Lautaro's firm shot to deny Urbig any chance of a save, and then Pavard's firm header from a corner set up a fine goal.
Bundesliga leaders still maintained their high level of intensity and managed to get another equalizer thanks to Dier's goal from Gnabry's cross. In the last chance of the game, Thomas Müller had the chance to make it 3-2 with a header in the box, but Sommer made the save in the right corner to send Inter through to the semi-finals.
Can Inter Milan win the Champions League?
Inter Milan don't have the best squad or the best coach in the semi-finals, and for many people, they are probably the least favorite to win the title. However, the current Serie A leaders have great technical ability and a lot of physical imposition, capable of taking on any opponent.