Dimarco and Diouf lead Inter to victory in Dortmund

A night of pure emotion at the Westfalenstadion, where 81,000 fans lit up a freezing evening on the final matchday of the league phase. All 36 Champions League teams were in action simultaneously, and Cristian Chivu’s Inter delivered an impressive result, defeating Borussia Dortmund 2–0 thanks to goals from Dimarco and Diouf. The Nerazzurri finished the League Phase in tenth place, qualifying for the playoffs as a seeded side. The opener was a sublime free kick from the Nerazzurri’s No. 32, a masterpiece that went up and over the wall, into the back of the net. Diouf then sealed the result with grit and determination, the outcome of a brilliant individual move that finished with a deflected shot, wrong-footing Kobel and putting the game beyond doubt.

It was certainly a game of determination, grit, and skill. Dimarco, who was captain on the field, opened the scoring in the 81st minute following two chances for the Nerazzurri, the first in the 78th minute as Thuram sent the ball into the box for Esposito, and then Frattesi's near-post effort, saved by Kobel. All this momentum built up to Dimarco's beautiful strike. Just 13 minutes later, Diouf fought for space and finished with a low, angled strike that, spurred on by a deflection, beat Kobel and sealed the 0-2 win for Inter.

BORUSSIA DORTMUND 0-2 INTER | SCORESHEET

Goalscorers: 81' Dimarco (I), 94' Diouf (I)

BORUSSIA DORTMUND (3-4-2-1): 1 Kobel; 23 Can, 4 Schlotterbeck, 39 Mané (89' 2 Yan Couto); 26 Ryerson, 7 Bellingham, 8 Nmecha, 5 Bensebaini (81' 10 Brandt); 14 Beier, 21 Silva (81' 17 Chukwuemeka); 9 Guirassy (68' 27 Adeyemi). Substitutes: 31 Ostrzinski, 33 Meyer. Head coach: Niko Kovač.

INTER (3-5-2):1 Sommer; 25 Akanji, 15 Acerbi, 31 Bisseck; 11 Luis Henrique, 8 Sucic (88' 95 Bastoni), 7 Zielinski (74' 16 Frattesi), 22 Mkhitaryan (88' 17 Diouf), 32 Dimarco; 14 Bonny (57' 94 Esposito), 9 Thuram (88' 10 Lautaro). Substitutes: 12 Di Gennaro, 13 J. Martinez, 6 De Vrij, 30 Carlos Augusto, 36 Darmian, 43 Cocchi, 45 Bovo. Head coach: Cristian Chivu.

Added time: 1' - 5'. Booked: Akanji (I), Bensebaini (B), Acerbi (I).

Referee: István Kovács. Assistants: Marica, Tunyogi. Fourth official: Szabolcs Kovács. VAR: Rob Dieperink. Assistant VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski.

Players at risk of suspension: Lautaro (I), Bastoni (I), Mkhitaryan (I); Adeyemi (B). Suspended: Svensson (B).