Tag: Champions League

Erling Haaland ended his Champions League goal drought as Manchester City extended their perfect start to the tournament with a 3-1 win at Swiss side Young Boys on Wednesday.

Haaland arrived in rain-lashed Bern without a goal in his previous five Champions League matches.

The City striker had scored 35 goals in his first 30 Champions League appearances and he got back on track in the competition with a second-half double at the Wankdorf Stadium.

Haaland’s penalty restored City’s lead after Meschack Elia had cancelled out Manuel Akanji’s second-half opener for the holders.

Switzerland defender Akanji’s first goal for Manchester City this season came on his return to his homeland, just days after he was sent off in the treble winners’ victory over Brighton in the Premier League.

Haaland struck again in the closing stages to wrap up the points and take him to 11 goals in all competitions this term.

Taking a swipe at critics of Haaland’s inconsistent form this season, City boss Pep Guardiola joked: “Honestly, I’m so concerned!

“People expect him to score four goals every time. People want him to fail, people expect he won’t do it, but I’m sorry this guy is going to score goals all his life.

“Listen, it is important for him to have the chances, with the incredible threat. The players need the ability to find the pass like Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan.”

Guardiola’s side sit top of Group G after a third successive victory following their wins against Red Star Belgrade and RB Leipzig.

Another success against Young Boys at the Etihad Stadium next month would ensure City qualify for the knockout stages with two matches to spare.

“It was an exceptional game. In this pitch it is more difficult, the ball comes in a different shape, but our positional game was really good,” Guardiola said.

“One more game to qualify mathematically and then two more to finish first.”

Guardiola has admitted Manchester City are suffering a mild hangover from winning the treble, with consecutive Premier League defeats against Wolves and Arsenal recently following a League Cup loss to Newcastle.

But City are unbeaten in their last 16 Champions League matches and even the unique challenge posed by Young Boys’ synthetic pitch could not derail their dominance in the tournament.

They remain a potent force even at less than 100 percent and should have taken an immediate lead against Young Boys when Rodri stooped to head just wide from Matheus Nunes’ corner.

Young Boys keeper Anthony Racioppi repelled Jeremy Doku’s blast after the City winger was set up by Jack Grealish.

As City’s pressure mounted, Grealish’s shot was dropped by Racioppi, but Nunes’s close-range effort was cleared off the line by Loris Benito.

Racioppi came to the hosts’ rescue on the stroke of half-time with a fine save from Doku’s curler and then another impressive stop to keep out Rodi’s flicked effort.

City finally made the breakthrough in the 48th minute when Ruben Dias’s header was pushed onto the bar by Racioppi and Akanji was on hand on to poke home from close range.

Their advantage lasted only four minutes as Cheikh Niasse’s defence-splitting pass from deep inside his own half sent Elia sprinting clear.

Ederson raced off his line in a bid to avert the danger but Elia lofted a superb chipped finish over the Brazilian from the edge of the area.

Having unexpectedly squandered the lead, Manchester City quickly went back in front after 67 minutes.

Rodri was sent crashing in the area by Mohamed Ali Camara and Haaland stepped up to smash home the penalty.

Julian Alvarez’s 74th-minute goal was disallowed for a handball by Grealish in the build-up.

But Haaland ensured City would head home with their 100 percent start intact, taking a touch from Rodri’s pass before whipping a fine finish into the far corner from just inside the area in the 86th minute.

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Jude Bellingham scored his third goal in as many Champions League appearances for Real Madrid as the Spanish side won 2-1 away to Braga in Portugal on Tuesday.

Rodrygo put Real ahead and England star Bellingham made it 2-0 just after the hour mark, with Carlo Ancelotti’s side then holding on after Alvaro Djalo pulled one back for Braga.

“Overall, I really think we produced a good game,” said Ancelotti.

“I didn’t enjoy that they scored because before that we were well in control and the win was in hand.”

The result leaves Madrid in a strong position with the maximum nine points from three games in Group C, three ahead of Napoli who beat Union Berlin 1-0 away in Germany.

After a cagey start, Nacho released Vinicius down the left flank and the Brazilian stood Serdar Saatci up before squaring for a sliding Rodrygo to give Madrid the lead on 16 minutes.

Madrid briefly thought they had doubled their lead 10 minutes before half-time when Rodrygo slotted the ball into an empty net, but Vinicius had strayed offside as Eduardo Camavinga played him in near the halfway line.

Bellingham doubled Madrid’s lead on 61 minutes when he stroked the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box after being teed up by Vinicius.

It was Jude Bellingham’s 11th goal in all competitions for Real since joining the record 14-time European champions from Borussia Dortmund ahead of this season.

However, the home side halved the deficit just two minutes later when Djalo powered a near-post drive past Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Braga then introduced the dangerous Bruma, who was only deemed fit enough to start on the bench. The change nearly paid off at the 70-minute mark when a Ricardo Horta drive was spooned just wide by Arrizabalaga.

Vinicius thought he had added a goal to his two assists in 82 minutes, but the assistant’s flag denied him with Madrid looking to kill off the game.

A VAR check for a penalty in the 89th minute was Braga’s last hope for an equaliser as Madrid ground out a hard-fought victory.

The Spanish side will be looking to book their place in the round of 16 when they host Braga in the return fixture on November 8.

Given the nod to start up front, Brazilian attacker Rodrygo will be hoping his goal will ensure his place in the starting XI for Saturday’s Clasico away to Barcelona.

Speaking to UEFA after the match, compatriot Vinicius said of the striker “I’d say it was good for his confidence to get a goal – particularly ahead of the Clasico”.

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Manchester United’s season is spiralling out of control and manager Erik ten Hag appears powerless to stop the rot.

United slipped to a chaotic 3-2 defeat at home to Galatasaray on Tuesday and have lost their opening two Champions League matches for the first time.

It was United’s sixth defeat in 10 matches in all competitions this season, with positive pre-season vibes now a distant memory.

Ten Hag appeared to be steering United in the right direction when he ended a six-year trophy drought last season and led them to a third-place finish in the Premier League.

Now the Dutchman, in his second season at Old Trafford, is under growing scrutiny for the first time as he scrambles for solutions.

Ten Hag’s men badly needed a victory on Tuesday after losing their Champions League opener against Bayern Munich and faced a Turkish side who had never won in England before.

United led twice, courtesy of impressive goals from new forward Rasmus Hojlund, but Galatasaray took advantage of some calamitous defending, sealing the win when Mauro Icardi dinked the ball over the error-prone Andre Onana.

Ten Hag says there are “no excuses” for his side’s dismal performances but is not worried about losing his job.

“Last season: brilliant, terrific, more than we could expect,” he said.

“We also knew in this project there would be common gaps. At this moment we are in a very difficult period as everyone can see but we come out together, we are fighting together.”

The question is, what does the Dutchman, besieged by problems on and off the pitch, do to halt the steep decline?

New goalkeeper Onana has become the symbol of the team’s defensive woes but he is merely one malfunctioning unit in an underperforming machine.

The Cameroon international, who played under Ten Hag at Ajax, made a costly gaffe at Bayern last month and made another horrendous mistake on Tuesday as Manchester United imploded.

Onana was bought to replace the long-serving David de Gea, with his passing range considered one of his greatest strengths.

But his error count is mounting. On Tuesday, he passed to Dries Mertens of Galatasaray. Casemiro’s attempt to rescue the situation but brought a red card and a penalty, which Icardi missed.

Ten Hag appears to be sticking with his number one, signed in a deal worth up to £47 million ($57 million), giving him a vote of confidence.

“We already have seen in games his great capabilities, also his personality after he made mistakes,” he said. “He will bounce back.”

United have conceded 18 goals in 10 matches this season, their highest tally after 10 games of a campaign since 1966/67.

In mitigation, they are grappling with a crippling injury crisis in defence — Diogo Dalot is the only fit senior full-back and central defender Lisandro Martinez has been ruled out for another extended spell.

Hojlund was the one bright spark on Tuesday, scoring a powerful header and putting Manchester United 2-1 ahead after an electric burst of pace.

But fellow striker Marcus Rashford looks a pale shadow of the rampaging forward who scored 30 goals last season. He has managed one so far this term.

Ten Hag has also had to deal with off-field distractions including a spat with Jadon Sancho, who has been banished from the first-team squad.

Brazilian winger Antony returned as a substitute against Galatasaray following a leave of absence to deal with allegations of domestic abuse against him.

Everything is taking place against a backdrop of continuing uncertainty over the ownership of the club, nearly a year after the unpopular Glazers said they were considering a sale.

Despite the appalling results, there is no evidence that Ten Hag’s job is under immediate threat.

But ultimately he will know the buck stops with him as attention turns to Saturday’s home match with Brentford.

READ: Bellingham earns comparisons with Zidane, Di Stefano

Jude Bellingham’s sensational start at Real Madrid, which continued in Naples on Tuesday night with a superb goal to earn Los Blancos another Champions League victory, has sparked comparisons with club greats Alfredo di Stefano and Zinedine Zidane.

The 20-year-old midfielder has been Madrid’s key player since his summer arrival from Borussia Dortmund and set up a goal for Vinicius Junior before scoring himself in the 3-2 win over Napoli at their Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

Bellingham’s goal, a surge forward from just inside the Italians’ half, before weaving through the defence and finishing with aplomb, was compared in some quarters to a strike typical of the former Argentine great.

“There was no better way for Jude to pay homage to the Argentine star,” wrote Spanish newspaper Marca.

“It wasn’t Diego’s goal against England, but in any case, the legendary number 10 would have been proud to score it.”

However the publication, and the other major Madrid sports daily, AS, both ran headlines comparing Bellingham to former Los Blancos legends Di Stefano and Zidane.

“(Bellingham) seriously reminds me of Di Stefano, in the elegant dribbling and ball management, but fierce and tireless in combat, half-artist, half-warrior,” wrote AS columnist Alfredo Relano.

Bellingham won the ball back high up the pitch to create Vinicius’ goal, demonstrating his all-round excellence.

“I’m surprised he’s only 20 years old because he looks like he’s 30 because of his character and attitude,” said Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.

“He has a lot of quality, physical strength and skill — he surprises me like he does everyone else.”

Despite his many qualities, at Madrid so far he has been used to fill the void left by Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema’s departure.

The French forward left to play in Saudi Arabia in the summer and although Madrid were heavily linked to Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe, Bellingham was their main purchase.

Madrid paid 103 million euros ($108 million) to Dortmund for the former Birmingham City midfielder and it seems they have got value for money.

“Madrid could not get Mbappe but they were absolutely spot on with Bellingham,” added Relano in AS.

“The attack revolves around him, but although he is always there at the start of the move, it doesn’t mean he’s not there to finish it.”

Ancelotti has generally deployed Bellingham in attacking midfield, behind two strikers.

It sometimes limits the impact he can have deeper on the pitch, which he has shown with Dortmund and England, but has helped him supply the Spanish league leaders with vital goals.

Bellingham also snatched a last-minute winner in Madrid’s Champions League opener against German minnows Union Berlin.

In La Liga, the midfielder has netted six goals in seven matches, as well as laying on two assists.

Madrid’s 3-0 triumph at Girona on Saturday was inspired by Bellingham, who set up the first goal with a delicious pass using the outside of his boot, a la team-mate Luka Modric.

“I’ve been watching Modric every day for three months, I just want to be creative,” said Bellingham.

Madrid fans have taken to him quickly, singing the chorus of the Beatles song “Hey Jude” to him in tribute.

Against Napoli and Girona, with Vinicius’ return to the starting line-up after injury, Bellingham’s role has started to expand with some more defensive duties added — but it has not diminished his attacking edge.

“Where is Bellingham’s ceiling?” wondered Marca, with Real Madrid fans excited to find out.

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MUNICH: Harry Kane scored from the penalty spot as Bayern Munich piled more misery on struggling Manchester United with a 4-3 home win in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Manchester United travelled to Germany after a poor run of form and amid a raft of off-field issues and were offered little respite by a Bayern side who have now won their past 20 Champions League opening matches.

It was a fourth defeat in just six matches for Erik ten Hag’s floundering United in all competitions this season as they failed to bounce back from last weekend’s embarrassing 3-1 home loss to Brighton in the Premier League.

Bayern Munich took control when visiting goalkeeper Andre Onana let Leroy Sane’s weak shot roll into the net in the 28th minute before Serge Gnabry swept home a second.

Rasmus Hojlund pulled one back before Kane drilled in a penalty early in the second half.

Casemiro’s late effort briefly gave Manchester United hope of an unlikely comeback against the run of play, but Bayern substitute Mathys Tel smashed home a fourth for the hosts in added time.

Brazilian Casemiro nodded in another consolation goal for Manchester United from the last attack of the match.

“We lost a bit of concentration there in the last five minutes,” Kane, who has now scored five goals in as many starts for Bayern Munich since joining from Tottenham, told TNT Sports.

“Thankfully we were able to hold onto the lead. It’s always great to score. Always room for improvement.

“Really good night tonight, we’ve started the season well and we can improve in certain areas but I feel like we are building towards that.”

Six-time European champions Bayern Munich moved top of the early Group A table after Wednesday’s earlier 2-2 draw between Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen in Istanbul.

Manchester United next visit Burnley at the weekend, with their second Champions League game at home against Galatasaray next month.

“After my mistake we lost control of the game. It’s a difficult situation for us, for me,” admitted Onana.

“The team were one down because of that mistake. I have to learn from it and be strong.”

Coming into the match, Ten Hag said the challenges would teach his side to “focus on the process”.

Early on, they controlled possession and forced Bayern onto the back foot.

Bayern would strike first, however, thanks to some clever work from Kane and Sane — and a poor error from Onana.

Sane evaded his marker and threaded a ball to Kane, who guided the ball back into the path of the former Manchester City winger.

Sane slid the ball goalwards and Onana made a meal of the save and allowed it to trickle into the net.

Bayern celebrated as Onana lay forlorn on the Allianz Arena turf.

If Bayern’s first was a mix of team understanding and good fortune, the second came about mainly thanks to the individual brilliance of Jamal Musiala.

The England-raised midfielder, 20, collected the ball near the halfway line and dribbled goalwards, fending off the attention of several United defenders before squaring for Gnabry.

The former Arsenal forward slammed the ball into the net to leave Manchester United 2-0 down and reeling after a solid if unspectacular start.

The visitors did give their travelling fans hope just after half-time when United collected a poor back-pass from Musiala, Marcus Rashford finding summer signing Hojlund whose deflected shot evaded goalkeeper Sven Ulreich.

Manchester United’s hope was short-lived however, a VAR review finding a handball in the box from Christian Eriksen.

United complained about the call, with Eriksen clearly trying to withdraw his arm while having little time to react, but Kane stepped up and converted the spot-kick.

Manchester United rallied late on, Casemiro scoring either side of a Mathys Tel goal, but Bayern Munich were never in serious danger of relinquishing the three points.

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ISTANBUL: Manchester City’s manager Pep Guardiola issued a warning to Real Madrid after his side scripted history by winning their maiden UEFA Champions League title on Sunday.

Manchester City edged defeated Inter Milan 1-0 in a hard-fought final, held at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul on June 10.

Rodri was the hero for Manchester City as he netted one in the 68th minute to separate the two sides who were indulged in a sea-saw battle.

While Manchester City held onto their lead and became the first-ever European champions, Inter Milan lost several golden opportunities to bring the score back to even.

Speaking to the media after a blockbuster season, Pep Guardiola issued a warning to the leading Champions League winner Real Madrid.

“Be careful Real Madrid, we’re 13 UCLs away but we’re coming for you. We are on our way! If you sleep a little bit, we will catch you,” said Guardiola.

Notably, Real Madrid are a record 14-time winners of the treble. Thus, Pep Guardiola’s side will have to make plenty of hard yards to catch up with the Los Blancos’ tally of titles.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City also came face to face with the defending champions Real Madrid in the semi-final of the Champions League.

The first leg of the highly-anticipated semi-final saw the two sides settling for a 1-1 stalemate after Kevin de Bruyne’s 67th-minute strike levelled Vinicius Jr‘s first-half goal.

However, Manchester City were at their absolute best in the second leg as they blew away the defending champions Real Madrid by 4-0 to set up a final clash with Inter Milan.

The 1-0 victory over Inter Milan at the Ataturk Stadium was a fitting conclusion to their incredible season. Pep Guardiola’s team was outstanding all season and was duly named champions.

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ISTANBUL: Manchester City tasted Champions League glory at last on Saturday as a second-half Rodri strike gave the favourites a 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in a tense final, allowing Pep Guardiola’s side to complete a remarkable treble.

Rodri fired in from a Bernardo Silva cutback midway through the second half at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium to decide a game in which City were knocked out of their usual rhythm and lost Kevin De Bruyne to injury.

Erling Haaland, scorer of 52 goals this season, went a fifth straight match without finding the net, but City had enough to edge out opponents who had never been expected to get this far.

“It wasn’t easy. What a team we faced, unbelievable,” Rodri told British broadcaster BT Sport.

Having already claimed a fifth Premier League title in six seasons, and added the FA Cup, City are the first English club to win such a treble since Manchester United in 1999.

That same month 24 years ago, City won the English third-tier play-off final on penalties against Gillingham.

Now they have established themselves as England’s dominant side and have finally added the biggest prize in European club football, two years after losing to Chelsea in their first final.

“I think we made history. The good thing is that we want more. This project is to want more, more ambition,” Rodri added.

The match was watched by owner Sheikh Mansour, who made a very rare appearance at a City game as his team capped their rise from also-rans to superpower in the years since he bought the club in 2008.

 

– Guardiola’s third title –

 

Twelve years after last lifting the trophy with Barcelona, meanwhile, Guardiola joins an elite club of coaches to have won the competition three times.

“It’s so difficult to win it,” Guardiola said, before adding that City’s triumph this season was “written in the stars”.

Having brushed aside RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to reach the final, City did not have it easy against Inter, who saw Federico Dimarco and substitute Romelu Lukaku both almost equalise.

Inter had hoped to spring a surprise and lift the trophy for the fourth time. It was not to be, but Simone Inzaghi’s side will be back in the competition again next season.

“We didn’t deserve to lose,” Inzaghi said. “We played against a top team, absolutely, but Inter also played a great final.”

Victory for Guardiola’s men, to go with the three titles of rivals United, means Manchester becomes just the second city to produce two different winners of the competition, after Milan.

The occasion did not match the drama of the last Champions League final at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.

Liverpool triumphed here in 2005, recovering from a three-goal deficit against AC Milan to draw 3-3 before winning on penalties.

However, it also passed off without serious incident, a year after chaos overshadowed the final at the Stade de France in Paris, even if the stadium’s location some 25 kilometres west of central Istanbul did not make access simple for supporters.

 

– De Bruyne comes off hurt –

 

City, with Nathan Ake starting ahead of Kyle Walker in defence, expected Inter to come out and attempt to thwart them, and the first half went to plan for the Italians.

They pressed and snapped at City’s heels, although the best chance fell to Guardiola’s men when De Bruyne set up Haaland for an effort that was well saved by Andre Onana.

City were then dealt a major blow as De Bruyne — who came off hurt in the 2021 final — departed injured on 36 minutes, to be replaced by Phil Foden.

It was just as the prospect of extra time, and a final finishing past midnight, began to loom that the game opened up.

Lautaro Martinez squandered a chance that was gifted to him by a poor Silva ball back towards his own goal, and City struck on 68 minutes.

Manuel Akanji’s pass found Silva in the box and his cutback came off a defender before falling for Rodri to fire in.

It was a second goal in the competition for the Spanish midfielder following his brilliant strike against Bayern in the quarter-finals.

Inter’s resistance was broken, and yet they nearly levelled almost immediately as Dimarco’s header hit the bar.

They nearly did so again in the 88th minute as Ederson somehow got in the way of a goal-bound Lukaku effort.

After coming so close in recent Champions League campaigns, finally it was City’s time.

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MANCHESTER: Manchester City produced a landmark performance to reach the Champions League final as Bernardo Silva’s double put Real Madrid to the sword in a 4-0 thrashing that secured a 5-1 aggregate win for the English champions on Wednesday.

Eder Militao’s own goal and Julian Alvarez’s strike in stoppage time rounded off a memorable night for Pep Guardiola’s men as they moved to within three wins of matching Manchester United’s treble in 1998/99.

“To play like that against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals is a huge satisfaction,” said Guardiola.

A fifth Premier League title in six seasons appears a formality with City needing just three points from their final three games, while United await in the FA Cup final on June 3.

But it is a first ever Champions League that City crave the most and they will be strong favourites to finally conquer Europe against Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10.

Seven years into Guardiola’s reign as City boss, the home fans were sent into seventh heaven by the quality of a display that rivalled the former Barcelona boss’ Champions League final wins in charge of the Catalan giants in 2009 and 2011.

Madrid dashed City’s dreams at this stage last season with a remarkable comeback from two goals down in the dying seconds of the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.

But Carlo Ancelotti’s men this time had no answer to City’s excellence.

“I had the feeling we had the pain of last year in our stomach,” added Guardiola.

“Today it all came out in our energy and desire. Sport always give you a second chance to take revenge. We had the luck to get that chance this year and we took it.”

Were it not for Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, the defending champions would have been on the end of a hiding before half-time.

The giant Belgian needed all of his two-metre (6ft 7in) frame to claw Erling Haaland’s header round the post.

Haaland had already been denied his 53rd goal of the season by Courtois with another downward header.

Rodri, John Stones and Jack Grealish also saw pot shots fly off target from the edge of the area, but Madrid’s luck finally ran out on 23 minutes.

Kevin De Bruyne unpicked the lock as his pass found Silva inside the area, and he smashed high past Courtois’ left hand.

– No ‘drama’ for Ancelotti –

The visitors had barely registered a touch inside the City half for the opening half hour, but were inches away from an equaliser 10 minutes before half-time when a piledriver from Toni Kroos rattled the crossbar.

Just as Madrid were beginning to settle, City grabbed the second goal their first half dominance deserved.

The in-form Ilkay Gundogan was denied a fifth goal in May by Militao’s block, but the ball looped up kindly for Silva to head into an unguarded net.

City had to show a different side to their game early in the second-half to weather Madrid’s reaction and ensure there was no repeat of last season’s late drama between the sides.

“We have played against a team that deserved to win,” said Ancelotti.

“We don’t have to make a drama of it. This squad did very well this year, did very well last year and we weren’t able to reach another final.”

The closest Real came to a lifeline was a dipping free-kick from David Alaba that Ederson tipped over.

At the other end Courtois continued to win his personal battle with Haaland by turning the Norwegian’s shot onto the bar when one-on-one.

But City won the war to move within one match of completing a transformation in the club’s fortunes since an Abu Dhabi-backed takeover in 2008.

The next blow to the Spanish giants was self-inflicted as Militao deflected Manuel Akanki’s header past Courtois 15 minutes from time.

Haaland was replaced by Alvarez two minutes from the end and that was all the Argentine World Cup winner needed to make his mark as he slotted home from Phil Foden’s pass.

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MILAN: Inter Milan reached their first Champions League final in 13 years as Lautaro Martinez’s sole goal of the match gave them a 3-0 aggregate win against AC Milan on Tuesday.

Inter Milan will undoubtedly be the underdogs against either Real Madrid or Manchester City in Istanbul on June 10, but the way they managed both legs of this all-Milan tie suggests they will be hard to beat.

The key moment of the night at the San Siro came when Argentinian Martinez exchanged passes with substitute Romelu Lukaku and drilled a shot from inside the penalty area that Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan allowed in at his near post.

Martinez, Inter’s captain, hailed the cohesion of his team over the two matches against their city rivals.

“What counts is the squad. I experienced it at the World Cup (with Argentina),” he said.

“It makes it easy if you have a united squad with everyone pulling in the same direction. It means you get to play these very important matches in the best possible way.”

He added: “After winning the World Cup and experiencing what is the pinnacle for a player I knew we could reach this final, and we did it.”

His goal effectively killed off the tie.

Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, Milan had pushed hard in the first half, spearheaded by Rafael Leao who shot across the goal and past the post with one of his side’s best chances.

Maignan then superbly dropped to his knees to collect Edin Dzeko’s glancing header from Hakan Calhanoglu’s pacy free-kick.

Lukaku’s introduction in the second half proved the spark that Inter needed to extend their lead.

Absent for much of the season with injuries and with a damaged reputation following a disastrous World Cup with Belgium, Lukaku has slowly worked his way back to his best.

The forward on loan from Chelsea immediately caused problems in the Milan defence and created Martinez’s goal to guarantee their place in their first Champions League final since the last time they won European club football’s biggest prize under Jose Mourinho in 2010.

“Tutti a Istanbul”, the joyous Inter fans sang with the Nerazzurri now one game away from a fourth Champions League title.

Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi said: “It’s a dream come true. We always believed we could do it, we have had an extraordinary journey (to the final).

“What pleased me? Everything. The running, the determination, the concentration… they were very good.”

Facing Inzaghi’s men will be either Manchester City or record 14-time winners Real Madrid, with that semi-final finely poised at 1-1 ahead of Wednesday’s decider at City’s Etihad Stadium.

“We’re going to have to give it our all,” Martinez said.

Milan’s coach Stefano Pioli was left to contemplate a harsh ending to “a terrific” run to the last four.

“It’s normal to be disappointed after losing in the semi-final, especially in a derby.

“The players gave their all in both legs but Inter deserved it. They played better than us, winning both matches.

“Given our journey and what we’ve done over the past three years it would have been fabulous to get to the final. But we didn’t make it, that’s a massive disappointment.”

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MUNICH: Manchester City will face Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals for the second straight season after Erling Haaland scored in a 1-1 draw which secured a 4-1 aggregate last-eight win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

The Norwegian missed a first-half penalty but muscled his way upfield midway through the second half, lashing past Bayern goalkeeper Yann Sommer for his 48th goal in 41 appearances this season.

Bayern scored a late penalty through Joshua Kimmich but were again haunted by their inability to make possession and chances count.

City will play in the semis for the third straight year but face a rematch with manager Pep Guardiola’s old foe Real, who scored two late goals to spectacularly turn the tie their way on the way to eventually winning the title last season.

“The semi-final again… the experience that we have in the competition, the players feel it a lot, they want to do really well,” Guardiola told BT Sport.

Bayern sacked previous coach Julian Nagelsmann in favour of Thomas Tuchel earlier this month despite a perfect record in the Champions League this season but have since been eliminated from Europe and the German Cup.

“If we can’t take positives from this match, we would have a problem,” Tuchel, whose side are only two points clear of Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga title race, told DAZN.

“At the moment, City are in the best shape, with the best players in the best league in the world.”

Guardiola, so often criticised in the Champions League for tinkering with his side, named the same XI that won the first leg 3-0 in Manchester.

Tuchel made two changes, opting for the creativity of City loanee Joao Cancelo at full-back and bringing back Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, the only recognised striker in the squad.

– Bayern’s fast start in vain –

Bayern, hoping to replicate previous miracle Champions League comebacks which started with an early goal, went on the attack from the outset.

Bayern’s other former City star, Leroy Sane, chipped just wide on 17 minutes when through one-on-one with goalkeeper Ederson.

The six-time European champions received a massive let-off just a minute later in one of City’s first attacks thanks to a narrow offside call against Haaland.

Dayot Upamecano, widely criticised for a nervous first-leg performance, initially saw red for bringing down the Norwegian with the goal in sight, but the card was immediately rescinded.

An animated Tuchel received a yellow for exchanging words with the assistant referee while theatrically applauding the decision.

Bayern’s lack of confidence and fluidity up front was obvious just minutes later, when Sane, clean through again, cut the ball back to an off-balance Leon Goretzka.

Upamecano was in the thick of it once more with 35 minutes gone, handballing in the box, bringing former Dortmund player Haaland to the spot in front of the home ultras.

The Norwegian, however, blasted over, only his third miss from 36 penalty attempts, and his first for City.

Haaland made up for his error in the 57th minute when he burst away from Upamecano, who slipped, blasted the ball past Sommer and into the goal to cap off a quick City counter-attack.

Bayern had the ball in the net on 73 minutes but French teenager Mathys Tel’s goal was ruled out for offside.

With seven minutes left, Kimmich converted a consolation from the spot after a Manuel Akanji handball.

The winner of the City-Real tie will face either AC Milan or Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul on June 10.

For Bayern, the recriminations will begin on and off the field after City’s dominant display, with a frustrated Tuchel sent to the stands for picking up a second yellow in the final minutes.

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