A story of finals - The Road to Munich

It is our seventh chance to show who we really are. It is no coincidence that Inter are the Italian club with the most literary, musical and cinematic appeal. Their sporting fortunes often intertwine with Italy, and the Nerazzurri’s cultural contribution has always been way more than just their trophy cabinet. When Inter wins, the whole world talks about it. On the day before the Champions League final, the seventh in the club’s history, we should look back on the previous chapters of our history books.

Herrera's Inter reached their first final of the recently-founded European Cup in 1964 in its eighth edition. Five of its eight years of existence were all won by Real Madrid. That legendary team was full of class: Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, Francisco Gento, all talented, seemingly unbeatable winners. At least this is the impression that a 21-year-old boy had, facing them in the tunnel before the game. This boy was Sandro Mazzola:

The ball got rolling and the man with the most famous moustache in Italian football then burst into action. An inch-perfect finish just before half time, and for the 20000 Inter fans in Austria, the party had begun, even before Milani’s goal to double our lead after the break. Felo drew one back, but Mazzola just got better, securing his brace. It was Angelo Moratti’s triumph: the former president was old-school and yet very modern, in charge of Helenio Herrera, widely accredited as the inventor of the modern manager, both a rigorous and entertaining leader. A conducatòr, as the Italian newspapers all read. Back in that time, the lineups were almost always the same, and Inter’s starting XI was easily memorised, just like a simple poem: Sarti, Burgnich, Facchetti, Tagnin, Guarneri, Picchi, Jair, Mazzola, Milani, Suarez, Corso. The captain who lifted the trophy was Armando Picchi. Everyone had a shining performance, except perhaps one of them. Jair, the extraordinary Brazilian right winger, who was slightly unlucky in his career as he was kept out of the national team by Garrincha, one of the best players of all time. But for Inter, he did whatever he wanted to on that pitch. In that edition of the European Cup, Jair scored in the Round of 16, in the first and second leg of the quarter-finals, and in the semis. But in the final he made a mistake, and perhaps he was the least in form of the team. He had to go on and make amends.

The passing of the baton was complete. From a great Real team to one of Inter’s greatest sides. Winning one is tricky enough, but repeating it is really tough.

The next year was a novel in itself. Inter got through the first rounds pretty easily. In the semi-finals, Liverpool won the first leg at home three to one. The custom at the time was to play pop songs at full volume at the end of the game, and at full time at Anfield, the fans were all singing “Oh when the saints go marching in” at the top of their lungs, for their forward Ian St.John.

The song stayed in Sandro Mazzola’s head. He went back to Italy, bought the CD, and gave it to the San Siro DJ. “Play it at the final whistle”, he said. Inter had the perfect game: 3-0, and three fantastic goals. Joaquin Peirò’s genius, Mario Corso’s class and Giacinto Facchetti’s superhuman power. 3-0, a complete turnaround and back in the final. History was ready to repeat itself, and the song was bouncing round the stadium.

Liverpool are superstitious and decided to change the song. The next summer, Gerry and the Pacemaker, a Scouse band, did a cover of an old hit from the forties: “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. And from then on, they never looked back. There are certain dates written into destiny. 27 May 1964 was a Wednesday, 27 May 1965 was a Thursday. But what didn’t change was that Inter were playing in the European Cup final.

Our opposition was also very similar: a legendary team who had already won the cup multiple times. This time we faced Eusebio’s Benfica. The Black Panther is one of the best players to ever grace the sport. The Nerazzurri fans didn’t have to travel far: all they had to do was take the tram. The final was at San Siro, still without a roof, and the eighty thousand fans in attendance felt the full force of the rain. But Inter were playing another final in that downpour. The pitch was heavy and the ball wasn’t bouncing like normal. The Portuguese side struggled with the conditions, but Inter got on with it as they were so hungry to win in front of their fans. Like normal, particular passages decided the game. One messy shot just before the half was enough. The ball escaped the grasp of goalkeeper Costa Pereira, and found the back of the net, much to his despair. The scorer was the Brazilian who twelve months ago played a slightly underwhelming final: Jair.

1-0 was the final score. The winning eleven: swap Bedin for Tegin, a like-for-like change, and Peirò for Milani. The rest was identical to the year before. Them again: Sarti, Burgnich, Facchetti… You know them all by now. Another European Cup triumph against the strongest team in the World: Inter’s destiny once again came to light. It’s not always all about winning, but when you win, you enter straight into history.

And they were back at it again, after winning the tenth Scudetto, and two years on from their last final. This time it was 25 May and our road to the final included a clash with Real Madrid in the quarters. In Lisbon, we were up against Celtic Glasgow, less renowned but massively fierce: Mazzola scored the opener from the spot and it seemed all over. But in the second half Gemmell and Chalmers turned it around. The cup was then taken back to Scotland and Inter were defeated this time.

Our revenge against the Scotsmen came five years later: in the semi-finals, Inter beat Celtic on penalties. Up next, Johan Crujff’s Ajax.

The team was undergoing changes, but some of the old group were still going strong. Alongside the new stars Bordon, Bellugi, Orialie and Boninsegna were veterans Facchetti, Burgnich, Jair, Bedin and Mazzola.

The game was played in Rotterdam, another advantage for Kovacs’ Ajax who were famous for their total football: no fixed positions, forwards defending and defenders getting into the opposition’s box. It is a play style which was then used in many years to come. Inter were determined and strong, but Johann Crujff was simply off the scale. 2-0 to the Dutchmen, winning the European Cup for the second year in a row. It was the end of a European era for Inter, who had to wait twenty years for their next final. In the meantime, Inter got some joy in the UEFA Cup, which they won three times in the 90s. Perhaps the most unforgettable final was against Lazio at the Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain’s stadium. It was a Nerazzurri triumph in Paris.

We then rewrote history head on. Inter needed twelve years to return to a European final, and 38 years since our last final, back in the European Cup. Our opposition was Bayern Munich, a formidable side even if they weren’t the best in the World. In fact, Inter eliminated the world’s best team in the semi-final, and you already know all about it. 3-1 at San Siro and 1-0 in Catalonia. Now, Inter only had Bayern Munich to beat in Madrid. “It’s a dream for us, and an obsession for them” sneered Josè Mourinho mockingly in his press conference before the match against Barcelona. However the dream stayed alive at the Santiago Bernabeu, and we had to prepare for Bayern Munich and their many stars.

Arjen Robben for one, a deadly right winger with incredible dribbling skills: he had an amazing ability to drive down the right wing, cut inside and curl into the corner. Anyone else? Ribery, his alter ego on the opposite wing wasn’t playing, but Thomas Muller, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philip Lahm all featured. Inter were a team on a mission, and it always seemed to be in one man’s destiny. Diego Milito was 30 years old and he was playing in the Champions League for the first time. His career was practically perfectly divided between three clubs. Racing Club de Avellaneda, his hometown team, then Genoa with a short spell at Real Saragozza. He didn’t have much international experience: two appearances in the UEFA Cup and a few odd appearances for his country. Inter bought him for the league, and he made a difference straight away in Serie A, but he didn’t quite have the same impact in the Champions League. He scored only one goal in the group stage, even though it was key in securing qualification in ice-cold Kiev. But you couldn’t critique his hard graft for the team. Then, the knockout stage came along, and he stepped it up a gear. He had that ice-cold glare and he seemingly couldn’t miss. Inter vs. Chelsea was first: he sat John Terry down, after beating other defenders, and scored to make it 1-0. In the quarter-finals, he did it again: his goal against CSKA at San Siro was an exhibition in high-speed control. But his real masterstroke came against Barcelona, and not only the goal to make it 3-0, which he made look so easy. He was a handful for the entire game, providing two assists to Sneijder and Maicon, and was questionably called offside on several occasions. From a pawn to the star man, and the best was still yet to come. In Madrid, it was written in the stars, right from the warm up.

Inter went onto the pitch with the mental game already won. The first goal was an absolute work of art for its simplicity: Julio Cesar - Milito - Sneijder – Milito. Eight seconds and eleven touches of the ball in total. Julio Cesar’s 100-yard long ball not only relieved the pressure on our defence, but triggered the attack that led to our opener. It was the 35th minute, a great time to score, and enough to make our opponents a little deflated going into the break. The second half was like poetry. 25 minutes in, Diego Milito once again, 46 years after Mazzola’s brace that made Inter champions of Europe. An Inter side of Argentinian spirit with Zanetti, Samuel, Cambiasso and Milito. A team with Brazilian heart with Julio Cesar, Lucio and Maicon. Then Samuel Eto’o with his class and reliability, winning the third Champions League of his career and even playing as a full-back. Wesley Sneijder’s magic (a worthy heir to Luisito Suarez for the perfection of his passes), Marco Materazzi’s grit, Cristian Chivu’s experience, Thiago Motta’s precision, Dejan Stankovic’s drive, Goran Pandev’s unpredictability and a truly outstanding performance in the final. Even Mario Balotelli’s pinch of madness helped us manage this achievement. The Inter fans dreamed. Massimo Moratti made his father Angelo proud and brought the Champions League back to Milan.

We are still the last Italian team to lift the trophy. The boys returned to San Siro with the trophy in the morning and 23 May 2010 was the most beautiful sunrise ever for thousands of Inter fans.

Istanbul, 13 years later. Inter are back in the final and they managed to get there after a tough run. We were put in an extremely difficult group. Barcelona and Bayern Munich, two pillars of European football, and two regular holders of Round of 16 spots. Inter did not roll over and once again they got the better of the Blaugrana, taking four points out of a possible six and securing a place in the Round of 16. Conceicao’s Porto were a tough nut to crack, but Benfica were less so in the quarter-finals, setting up the Derby, 20 years on from our last European meeting, and once again in the semi-finals. The first leg had only just gotten started, and Inter were relentless, with Inzaghi’s side practically sealing the tie within 20 minutes. Calhanoglu’s effort that hit the post could have given the Rossoneri some hope, but it wasn’t enough to really worry Inter, who sealed their ticket to the final with Lautaro Martinez’s goal in the return leg in front of our home faithful.

Into the final, and up against Manchester City who had just won their semi-final pretty comfortably: 1-1 in the first leg, 4-0 in the second leg. Their opponents? A certain Real Madrid. Inter were doomed, said journalists and analysts alike, but, to the surprise of many, Inzaghi’s side put up a real fight at the Ataturk stadium. Guardiola’s boys were on top in the first half, but Inter responded in the second period, with Lautaro’s effort saved by Ederson. City got in front through Rodri, and then the Nerazzurri gave everything. Lukaku and Dimarco both had great chances, and Gosens came so close to finding an equaliser in stoppage time. This time, the miracle didn’t happen and the English side lifted the trophy. The iconic chant of that season was, “Do it for all this distance I’ve travelled for you”, and it left Inter fans wondering how much would they have to travel until the next final?

The response is a lot, but not that much, as only two years later, Inter are back in the final. They got here after beating both Bayern and Barcelona. They got here with a real miracle this time. Acerbi’s goal just a few seconds from the end made it a match for the ages, rewriting the Club’s history and delighting Inter fans. Now they will have their toughest obstacle so far. Paris Saint-Germain, PSG or Parìs according to their new branding. Only three seasons ago, Luis Enrique’s club had a formidable attacking three: Messi, Neymar, Mbappe. The Frenchman was the last to leave (moving to Madrid) and the Spanish manager was able to form a team to suit his own brand of football: technical, brazen, ambitious and guided by Marquinhos who’s in his twelfth season in the City of Love. But this time, Inter can have full faith in themselves. And it could be in the destiny of the man who has scored in every round of the knockout phase until this point. He wears the number ten on his back and the captain’s band on his arm. In the semi-finals he did something never seen on a football pitch before: playing essentially an entire game carrying an injury. What was his impact, you ask? A goal scored and a penalty won.

Inter are ready. This time the fans have a different chant, and they only sing it before and after matches. “Win the Champions League, and we will be partying again”. The Nerazzurri faithful are ready to light up Munich.