Inter‘s victory over Benfica in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals offers a unique chance to have a Serie A representative in the Final for the first time since 2017 and even Roberto Mancini can be happy with the Nerazzurri’s triumph in Lisbon.
Feel free to do your superstitious rituals, Inter fans, but Tuesday’s impressive 2-0 victory in Lisbon may lead to big things for Italian football, touching heights we haven’t reached for several years. Roma were the last Serie A club to reach the Champions League semis in 2018, one year after Juventus‘ Final against Real Madrid, which was famously lost 4-1 in Cardiff.
All Serie A clubs are on the same side of the draw, meaning the winner between Inter and Benfica will meet Milan or Napoli in the semis.
Simone Inzaghi’s Nerazzurri earned the edge over Benfica in Lisbon on Tuesday and will be tasked with completing the job next week when they host the Portuguese at a sold-out Stadio Meazza.
Alessandro Bastoni, Nicolò Barella and Andre Onana inspired Inter’s win at the Estadio da Luz but Inzaghi’s men will need more of the same next week to get a spot among Europe’s top four clubs for the first time since José Mourinho’s treble win in 2010.
Italy coach Roberto Mancini will also be happy to see two Azzurri contribute to such a big win on the European stage. Mancio said during the international break that having three Serie A clubs in the Champions League quarter-finals doesn’t necessarily mean Italian football has solved all its problems, given that Inter, Napoli and Milan do not have many Italians in their starting XIs.
Barella has already won the Euros with the Azzurri, while Bastoni will become one of the leaders of the Azzurri defence in the coming years.
However, it would be wrong for Inter to think that the job is done already, as Onana said last night. Benfica remain a tricky team and the Nerazzurri will need to maintain focus and don’t waste the huge advantage they earned last night.
The fate of Serie A football in the Champions League is in their hands. If they fulfil their task next week, we’ll surely see an Italian club in the Istanbul Final on June 10, for the first time in six years.