A second of high quality from Marcus Thuram gave Inter the lead (JOHN THYS)
Inter Milan’s highly effective strike duo of Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez mixed to offer the Italians a helpful 2-0 benefit over Dutch facet Feyenoord after an absorbing Champions League last-16 first leg Wednesday.
High quality finishes both facet of half-time from the French and Argentinian strikers proved the distinction between the 2 groups, who meet once more in Milan for Tuesday’s second leg, with the winner of the Bayern Munich-Bayer Leverkusen showdown mendacity in wait.
“Their high quality is unbelievable,” admitted Feyenoord defender David Hancko.
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“Second half you possibly can see that they had been controlling the sport and it was tougher for us to be harmful,” added Hancko.
A full of life opening quarter in Rotterdam’s ever-atmospheric De Kuip noticed three-time European champions Inter get pleasure from most possession however Feyenoord carve out the clearest alternatives.
Ibrahim Osman, the pacy 20-year-old Ghana worldwide winger on mortgage from Premier League facet Brighton and Hove Albion, was the primary risk for the hosts, twice forcing Josep Martinez into sharp saves.
For the guests, Thuram discovered himself with a transparent run at objective however determined to go sq. moderately than shoot and the hazard was snuffed out.
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It was a second of high quality from the French striker that broke the impasse with simply eight minutes till the half-time whistle, latching onto a curling cross from Nicolo Barella to hook it in with the surface of his boot on the far submit.
The objective, barely in opposition to the run of play, galvanised the Serie A facet, who all of the sudden appeared far more harmful going ahead.
Feyenoord legend and lately put in supervisor Robin van Persie would have been glad to get his facet into the dressing room simply 1-0 down after an entertaining first half.
However his facet’s arrears doubled simply 5 minutes into the second interval, as Martinez drilled an unstoppable shot into the highest nook, giving the hosts a mountain to climb.
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Jakub Moder got here near getting Feyenoord again into the sport when his lunging deflection skimmed the bar.
Inter had their very own probability to place the sport — and possibly the tie — past attain when Jeyland Mitchell introduced down Thuram within the field, the referee awarding a penalty after a protracted VAR test.
However Timon Wellenreuther within the Feyenoord objective produced a wonderful save from Piotr Zielinski’s penalty, shifting well to his proper.
Feyenoord pressed to the top searching for one thing to take to the San Siro however the Inter defence held agency in a satisfying evening for Simone Inzaghi’s males.
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“Feyenoord got here out effectively a number of instances, however I feel we had been strong in defence,” stated Inter’s Dutch worldwide Denzel Dumfries.
“We hit them effectively on the break and we made issues troublesome for them,” he added.
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