UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals 2023, AC Milan vs Inter Milan Review: Rossoneri thrashed by Nerazzurri at San Siro

UCL 2023 Semi-Finals, AC Milan vs Inter Milan: The result of the first leg of the second semi-final of the UEFA Champions League was not anticipated by most football fans around the world. Inter Milan defeated AC Milan 2-0 for the first time in their history of the UEFA Champions League. Their Bosnian striker Edin Džeko and their Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan were on the scoresheet, which gave the visitors a two-goal advantage in just 11 minutes of the game. The match was played in San Siro, which is the home ground for both teams, with AC Milan designated as the home team on Thursday.

It was expected that the match would be a more even contest, as both clubs have been rebuilding their squads to compete on the big stage.

The early goal was scored by Edin Džeko who fired the ball from a corner kick to give Inter the lead in the eighth minute of the match. It was a great volley by the striker from his left foot. The second goal came from a run by Inter wing-back Dimarco, who passed the ball towards Lautaro Martínez, which he left for Mkhitaryan. Mkhitaryan ran past Milan defence and fired the ball into the back of the net, giving Inter their second goal in the 11th minute. 

Inter was dominant for the whole first half. Inter's Çalhanoğlu rattled the bar in the 15th minute with a powerful shot from outside the penalty box. This was followed up by a shot by Mkhitaryan, which was stopped by Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

The problems for Milan started to grow as Inter was awarded a penalty in the 30th minute due to a challenge on Lautaro Martínez by Milan defender Simon Kjær. Milan later breathed a sigh of relief as the decision was overturned by the Virtual Assistance Referee (VAR). Inter was still creating chances and disrupting the Milan defence with no reply.

In the second half, Milan started to get into the game, creating a few chances and coming close to scoring a goal. The best chance for Milan was a shot by their Italian midfielder, Sandro Tonali, which hit the outside of the Inter post. 

Inter also didn't hold back and created chances to score a goal, but Maignan was alert to the dangers. 

The second leg of this matchup will be played in the same stadium, with Inter designated as the home team. It will be played next week on Wednesday, May 17, at 12:30 AM (IST). It will be a big task for AC Milan's manager, Stefano Pioli, and his team if they want to turn the tide.