Inter Milan took another step towards direct qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League with Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Leipzig which moved the Italians top of the table. Castello Lukeba’s own goal midway through the first half was enough for Inter, who are the only team yet to concede a goal, to win their fourth straight match in Europe’s elite club competition. Italian champions Inter lead Barcelona and Liverpool, who host Real Madrid on Wednesday, by a point after a narrow win which should have finished with a more emphatic scoreline for the hosts.
Simone Inzaghi’s side return to their Serie A title defence at high-flying Fiorentina on Sunday after a routine win at a far from full San Siro which makes a top-eight finish extremely likely with three matches remaining.
“We’re not certain of everything, we need to wait for tomorrow’s matches, 16 points might not be enough,” Inzaghi told reporters when asked if his team needed one more win to ensure a last-16 spot.
“We’re going really well and we need to keep on, this is no time to be making calculations.”
Leipzig meanwhile remain on no points after a fifth defeat in as many games in the Champions League, with even qualification for the play-offs looking tricky.
Marco Rose travelled to Italy with just 17 players as an injury crisis left him with few options, and Leipzig only got into the game once Inter inexplicably slackened off in the second half.
Leipzig on brink
Leipzig’s poor luck with injuries also looks to have got worse as Assan Ouedraogo had to be substituted on the hour mark after catching his foot in the turf and falling over.
“It’s very simple, we have three matches and nine points available, with nine points we can get to the play offs,” said Rose.
“Let’s see how we go in the next match and then I’ll be able to say more because we clearly need to win all three matches.”
Inter should have been ahead in the 18th minute when, during an intense spell of pressure from the home side, Lautaro Martinez scuffed a great chance to lash home from a low cross with his left foot.
The hosts’ main threat had been from crosses from the flanks and it was a vicious Federico Dimarco delivery which Lukeba diverted into his own net in the 27th minute.
Leipzig did next to nothing in the first half and they were lucky not to be two goals down almost immediately after the restart.
Denzel Dumfries went on a marauding run up the right flank and exchanged perfect passes with Martinez, but when it came to applying the final touch the Dutch wing-back could only smash his finish way over.
More chances came and went for wasteful Inter who allowed Leipzig to get a foothold in the game when they should have already been out of sight.
Fortunately for Inter, goalkeeper Yann Sommer was at his best to keep out Leipzig’s only shot on target, a well-struck effort from Antonio Nusa from a tight angle, allowing home fans to let out a mighty roar at the final whistle.
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