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Inter take on Manchester City on Saturday (3pm ET on Paramount+) in pursuit of their fourth Champions League title after winning in 1964, 1965 and the last in 2010 when Jose Mourinho was in charge of the Italian side. That season they won the treble, becoming the first and still only Italian club ever to win all three major leagues in the same year. Thirteen years later, Inter are back in the final and can dream of something completely unexpected at the start of the season, when the team led by Simone Inzaghi ended up in the same group stage as Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona. How did Inter end up in Istanbul? We summarize their route to this year’s showpiece in Turkey.
Qualification
Simone Inzaghi’s side finished in second place during the 2021-22 Serie A season, as Inter lost the Scudetto on the last matchday of the season, while city rivals AC Milan won the title. Inter qualified for the group stage of the Champions League for the fifth year in a row, while Inter were knocked out by Liverpool in the round of 16 during the season.
To draw
Inter ended up in Group C along with Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona and Viktoria Plzen. Inter lost the opening match against the German side, but then managed to win at home against FC Barcelona and retire to Spain in the two decisive clashes of the group stage, as the fact that Xavi’s team eventually finished third in the group.
Group stage results
- Match day 1 – Inter 0, Bayern Munich 2
- match day 2 – Victoria Pilsen 0, Inter 2
- match day 3 – Inter 1, FC Barcelona 0
- match day 4 – FC Barcelona 3, Inter 3
- match day 5 – Inter 4, Victoria Plzen 0
- Matchday 6 – Bayern Munich 2, Inter 0
Round of 16 results
First leg: Inter 1, Porto 0
Inter faced the Portuguese side in the first leg of the knockout phase and won thanks to Romelu Lukaku’s goal in the second half.
Second stage: Porto 0, Inter 0.
Playing a defensive game against Porto in Portugal, Inzaghi’s side suffered particularly in the second part of the game, but the Nerazzurri managed to keep a clean sheet with some crucial saves from Andre Onana and qualified for the quarter-finals for the first time since 2011.
Quarterfinal results
First leg: Benfica 0, Inter 2.
Inter managed to beat another Portuguese team in the first leg of the quarterfinals. Benfica were considered favorites well before the match as they were able to knock out Juventus in the group stage and also finished first in the same group as PSG. This was probably the game where many people realized that Inter were actually strong this year, despite the disappointing results in the league. The Nerazzurri won 2-0 thanks to goals from Nicolò Barella and a penalty from Lukaku.
Second stage: Inter 3, Benfica 3.
Despite the final result, Inter were always in control of the second leg, as they managed to score the opener again with Barella. The home side drew level before Lautaro Martinez and Joaquin Correa scored Inter’s second and third goals. The Nerazzurri qualified for the semi-finals for the first time since 2010 and not even Benfica’s two late goals could ruin a special evening for the fans.
Semifinal results
First leg: AC Milan 0, Inter 2.
One of the most exciting clashes of the season, Inter faced AC Milan in the third-ever Derby della Madonnina in the league’s history. While the Rossoneri knocked out Inter in 2003 and 2005, this was the first time the Nerazzurri made it through, winning the first leg with two goals from Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Second stage: Inter 1, AC Milan 0.
Six days later, AC Milan attempted a historic comeback with Rafael Leao back on the field (injured in the first leg). However, Inter won again thanks to Lautaro Martinez’s second-half goal to qualify for their first European final since 2020, as Antonio Conte’s side lost to Sevilla in the Europa League final.
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