UCL | RB Salzburg 0-1 Inter: Lautaro seals qualification

Inter have booked their spot in the Champions League Round of 16, but it took a late Lautaro Martinez penalty to get the better of RB Salzburg.

It is now going to be a head-to-head with Real Sociedad to secure first place and a better draw in the knockout stages.

Simone Inzaghi rotated his squad and rested several big names, although Benjamin Pavard and Juan Cuadrado were injured, with Marko Arnautovic back on the bench after a month out. The hosts missed Oumar Solet, Maurits Kjaergaard (who is going to have shoulder surgery), Sekou Koita, Bryan Okoh, Justin Omoregie, Kamil Piatkowski, Lukas Wallner, Aleksa Terzic and Dijon Kameri, while Fernando was only fit for the bench.

It was a tight game at San Siro, the Nerazzurri emerging 2-1 winners thanks to Alexis Sanchez and a Hakan Calhanoglu penalty.

Yann Sommer palmed away an Oscar Gloukh free kick from a tricky angle, with Karim Konate turning the rebound wide, then Konate robbed Henrikh Mkhitaryan only to send a long-range lob over the bar.

Yann Bisseck making his Champions League debut tested the goalkeeper from range, then Alessandro Bastoni’s header steered a Hakan Calhanoglu free kick wide from eight yards.

Davide Frattesi absolutely should’ve given Inter the lead just before half-time when Marcus Thuram burst down the left and Alexis Sanchez teed it up, but the Italian ballooned well over from 12 yards.

As is his wont, Simone Inzaghi substituted booked defender Bisseck at half-time with Stefan de Vrij. After the restart, Calhanoglu was shown a yellow card for a very high sliding tackle on Gloukh and was fortunate VAR did not recommend a red.

Calhanoglu did better with a free kick beaten away by Schlager, then the Darmian follow-up was charged down in the box.

Gloukh blasted over too from the Konate assist, then Konate got down the left only to sting Sommer’s gloves at the near post.

Sommer got down to fingertip a Dedic low drive round the base of the near post, while a Kristjan Asllani corner grazed the heads of both Lautaro Martinez and Thuram, nobody able to get the final touch.

Asllani unleashed a swerving long-range strike that Schlager struggled to get out from under the crossbar with one hand.

Thuram had penalty appeals waved away when going over a trailing leg, but Lautaro Martinez was unlucky on 82 minutes when his glancing header from an Alessandro Bastoni cross was fingertipped onto the crossbar by a sensational reaction save.

However, moments later Inter did receive a penalty when Nicolò Barella’s shot struck the flailing hand of Mads Bidstrop. Lautaro Martinez kept his cool to convert into the near bottom corner.

Lautaro Martinez almost had another in stoppages, but drilled wide after a splendid first touch.

RB Salzburg 0-1 Inter

Lautaro Martinez pen 85 (I)