Inter 2 - 1 Bayer Leverkusen, match review

DÜSSELDORF – It was a dominant display where Inter risked very little. However, while there was reason to celebrate last night, there is now a need to focus on the next one. With the team undoubtedly feeling fatigued, the upcoming days will help the Nerazzurri recuperate and prepare for another game where everything is on the line. Up next: a European semi-final. Inter’s 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen was certainly a rather flattering scoreline for the German side, with Conte’s men creating numerous opportunities and stifling their opponents to such an extent that their attacking play was almost non-existent. And while the Nerazzurri had to dig in ever so slightly during the closing stages, Leverkusen never really caused any major scares.

Ball possession, it’s what Peter Bosz’s Bayer side are all about. They had 67% of the ball in the first half, 60% after the restart and 63% in total. However, this yielded very little. Because Leverkusen failed to play at the required tempo, that despite the best efforts of Diaby, who for a period of the second half did his utmost to change the course of the match. Lots of passing, very little productivity: the Germans only managed two shots on target from a total of nine attempts (including those which were blocked). Inter knew what to do and attacked from the off, playing a more direct brand of football and making use of their two forwards, who helped link and spread play. Conte’s strategy worked: the Nerazzurri took 18 shots (nine of which were on target), had a goal ruled out and were awarded two penalties which were then rescinded after VAR had intervened. Inter had numerous chances to put the game to bed and the fact they didn’t is the only disappointing aspect to come from the match (alongside Sanchez’s muscle problem).

As Conte pointed out, it only makes sense to praise individual performances when considered alongside the overall team display. And this was very much the case last night, because unity of purpose was important for all the players out on the pitch, irrespective of whether they started or came on at a later stage. Take Eriksen, for example, who produced some lovely touches and made his mark in attack, setting up Sanchez with a delightful through ball (one of three goalscoring opportunities the Dane created) and taking two shots himself. He made a big impact. As for the Chilean, he stuck it out until the end despite picking up an injury.

It is, however, impossible not to extol three players who particularly stood out, helping Inter secure a spot in the Europa League semi-finals through their performances. More specifically, Barella, Lukaku and Godin.

Let’s start with Barella: Lukaku named him as the MVP from the game in his post-match comments. During last night’s showdown, the Italian midfielder scored his fourth goal of the season after already netting against Slavia Prague, Verona and Fiorentina. Four goals in four different competitions, three of which were scored in similar fashion: as was the case in the Champions League and Coppa Italia, yesterday’s goalscoring finish was a first-time effort following a defensive clearance. On this occasion, he scored with the outside of his right boot, while he also had a big chance to score shortly afterwards. But that’s not all: as always, Barella went into battle. He had 47 touches and made a relatively low number of passes, 30 to be precise. But he was regularly involved, breaking up play, recovering possession and showing selflessness throughout the 97 minutes. His hard work was backed up by a fellow midfielder in Brozovic, who covered many kilometres and showed precision in possession high up the pitch (24 of the 38 passes he completed came in the opposition half).

Diego Godin, who has won the Europa League twice during his career, was also impressive, despite the fact that he was too deep for Havertz’s goal. The numbers help to describe a display where the Uruguayan performed like a true veteran and champion, managing to keep the opposition at bay: in addition to making five tackles, five clearances and two interceptions, he won possession back on four occasions. Most notably, he came out on top in 100% of his duels. Nobody got the better of him, including, of course, in the air (three out of three duels won). He was even involved in the very last scene of the match, heading clear a hopeful ball played forward by Leverkusen.

Finally, there was Romelu Lukaku. It’d be difficult to rank his best performances over the course of the season, but this was right up there. Not only did he get on the scoresheet, he also stood out for his coordination and power, his tactical awareness and physical prowess. He dominated and completely overwhelmed Bayer’s backline, fighting like a lion and getting involved in 15 duels. He spread play, gave the team some respite and took a few blows for the benefit of all. Two of his six shots were on target, making him just as much an attacking threat as all of Leverkusen’s players combined.

The Belgian’s performance was packed with many characteristics of this Inter side: class, power, sacrifice and selflessness. All for our colours. Let’s keep this up!