On Wednesday, February 16th, 2022 Liverpool ultimately defeated Inter Milan with a final tally of 2 to 0 in the 1st – leg of this Champions League match up. Inter Milan was the home team in this first leg of Champions League action.
Following 75 – minutes of cautious and somewhat boring football in this Champions League contest hosted by Inter Milan, Andy Robertson facilitated a corner – kick that was gladly greeted close to the near post by Roberto Firminowho glanced in a header to find the back of the net as he had his back to goal.
That was Liverpool’s 5th – goal from a set piece in the Champions League during this season, placing them in 1st – place in Europe just like in the English Premier League (EPL).
Once Mohamed Salah touched the back of the net in the 83rd – minute of game play as that goal score guaranteed the 6 – time European champions a 2 to 0 victory in the 1st – leg of the Champions League round of 16 last Wednesday night.
The free – kick from Robertson which created the opportunity for the 2nd – goal in the legendary San Siro Stadium as Liverpool scored off of the match’s only 2 – shots targeted on goal.
The host side managed to partially clear the ball prior to the football finding its way back to Trent Alexander – Arnold, who then crossed it into the penalty area and was eventually nodded down by Virgil van Dijk. Salah was prepared and unmarked in order to manufacture a solid shot attempt that was eventually deflected past goal – tender Samir Handanovic for his 10th – goal over his previous 12 – Champions League matches.
By cemented a 4th – sequential road win in Europe for the very 1st – time since way back in 2006, the 2019 Champions League victors grabbed a vital support cushion to take back to Anfield Stadium for the 2nd – leg of this match up this March.
Inter Milan was unable to muster up even a single shot on goal in the game’s 90 – minutes, and they now face missing out on a 1st – quarterfinal appearance since the year of 2011 in European football’s elite competition known as the Champions League.
Things may have turned out differently for the Italian champions if Hakan Calhanoglu’s 1st – half smashing – shot from a very acute angle went another way, but it just so happened to miss the crossbar leaving their fans extremely desperate at that point.
It was one hell of a night once Alexander – Arnold found his spot in the history books of Liverpool as the club’s youngest – ever Champions League player rewritten by the young and talented player in Harvey Elliott who was gifted his 1st – appearance in the Champions League competition at tender age of just 18 – years and 318 – days.
Elliott played for the initial 59 – minutes in which Liverpool was heavily underwhelming, and they came close to scoring a goal when Sadio Mane headed an attempt during the 1st – half of this match.
The only blemish on this trip was Diogo Jota having to be forced off of the pitch at the halftime break with an unanticipated ankle injury, however that created the path for the arrival of ultimate goal score of the game by Firmino.
Wednesday night’s other 1st – leg Champions League contest featured a much – closer outcome as Bayern Munich drew a 1 to 1 tie versus Salzburg via a timely equalizer by Kingsley Coman during the 90th – minute of game action in order to save Bayern Munich at Salzburg.
Media Statements
“I think we both took a lot of risk in the pressing,” Virgil Van Dijk expressed nationally on CBS. “It’s about the hard fight, the battle when you have the ball — be brave, make the right decisions and keep it tight at the back.”
“In the Champions League small details make the difference,” the Inter Milan defender Milan Škriniar proclaimed.“We have created a lot, but we did not manage to score.”
“We don’t have much hope now,” Inter Milan’s head coach, Simone Inzaghi, stated. “But we will go Anfield to play the best possible match and we will see.”
“Firmino needed time to get into the game,” the head coach of Liverpool, Jürgen Klopp, expressed on BT Sport.“After his goal you could see the confidence back. All of a sudden, the ball was our friend again and we won the game.”
Sources:
The Associated Press News Services. “Firmino, Salah give Liverpool 2 – 0 win at Inter Milan in CL”. The Associated Press. February 16, 2022.