Inter had some chances, rattling the crossbar with Lautaro Martinez and forcing a save with Romelu Lukaku, but the 0-0 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk was not enough and they crashed out of Europe.
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Inter had some chances, rattling the crossbar with Lautaro Martinez and forcing a save with Romelu Lukaku, but the 0-0 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk was not enough and they crashed out of Europe.
Follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Ajax-Atalanta on the LIVEBLOG.
Real Madrid beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0, so those two teams go through in that order, while Shakhtar take the Europa League spot. Inter are out of Europe altogether.
This was the true Group of Death, as going into the final game, all four teams could’ve qualified for the Champions League Round of 16, gone into the Europa League or finished bottom. The Nerazzurri needed a win and for Real Madrid-Borussia Monchengladbach to not end in a draw.
Arturo Vidal and Radja Nainggolan were out, but Nicolò Barella pushed through pain to start despite an ankle injury rather than out of favour Christian Eriksen. Shakhtar’s Dentinho and Davit Khocholava were carrying knocks, while Junior Moraes, Yevhen Konoplyanka, Ismaily, Viktor Korniienko and Fernando were out of action.
It was almost the perfect start, as after seven minutes Barella crossed from the right, Romelu Lukaku’s dummy let it through and Lautaro Martinez smashed his strike against the crossbar from 10 yards.
The hosts had a series of corners, with Lautaro Martinez, Ashley Young and Milan Skriniar firing off target from promising positions. Vitao was so late in his lunge from behind on Lukaku that fortunately he barely made contact, otherwise it would’ve been a red card offence rather than yellow. His game didn’t last much longer, as he went off with a muscular injury.
Lautaro Martinez’s header was straight at the goalkeeper from close range on a Lukaku cross, then Alessandro Bastoni fired a rocket over the bar.
After the restart, Lukaku’s looping header was going for the far top corner, but Anatolii Trubin flew to flap the ball out from under the bar.
Lautaro Martinez volleyed off target from eight yards on an Alessandro Bastoni cross, but Inter ran a huge risk on a corner when Shakhtar countered three against two, as Samir Handanovic beat away the Tete strike and Maycon fired the rebound over.
Antonio Conte made three last-ditch substitutions with Christian Eriksen, Matteo Darmian and Danilo D’Ambrosio. Alexis Sanchez’s header was just over the bar, then another of his attempts from a corner was accidentally charged down by Lukaku.
Inter pushed to the last second, as Trubin palmed an Eriksen screamer out from under the bar, but ultimately it was nowhere near enough and they finish bottom of the group.
Inter 0-0 Shakhtar Donetsk
Inter: Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni (D’Ambrosio 86); Hakimi (Darmian 86), Gagliardini (Alexis Sanchez 75), Brozovic, Barella, Young (Perisic 68); Lautaro Martinez (Eriksen 86), R Lukaku
Shakhtar Donetsk: Trubin; Dodô, Bondar, Vitao (Khocholava 37), Matviyenko; Stepanenko, Kovalenko; Tetê (Solomon 65), Marlos (Alan Patrick 64), Maycon; Taison (Dentinho 87)
Ref: Vincic (SVN)