Hakan Calhanoglu’s winning free-kick which opened the scoring during Inter’s 4-0 thrashing of Red Star also marked the end of a lengthy drought for the Nerazzurri, who returned to scoring in the Champions League through a direct set piece more than 14 years later.
The Turkish international slotted the ball into the top left corner with the help of a slight deflection, scoring his first free-kick goal with Inter.
Wesley Sneijder, another free-kick specialist, was the last Nerazzurri player to have found the net in a Champions League game via direct set-piece.
Both Calhanoglu and Inter end lengthy free-kick scoring drought
Calhanoglu’s previous free-kick goal dated back to December 2020, when he still played for Milan and contributed to his side’s 4-2 win over Celtic in the Europa League’s group stage.
Yet, as reported by Opta, Inter’s free-kick scoring drought in the Champions League was much longer than the almost four years their midfielder had to wait before finding the net again through one of his trademark skills.
The Nerazzurri had last scored a direct free-kick goal in 2010, when Wesley Sneijder’s goal earned José Mourinho’s Inter a 1-0 win at CSKA Moscow in the return-leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Biscione would go on to win the trophy on that occasion, in a season that saw them completing a treble by also winning Serie A and Coppa Italia.
Calhanoglu’s goal against Red Star was his second for Inter this season, after the penalty converted against Lecce in Serie A.