Champions League | Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Inter: Match Report
Inter Milan suffered their first defeat of the Champions League season, falling 1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen after Nordi Mukiele scored from a late corner.
Inter Milan suffered their first defeat of the Champions League season, falling 1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen after Nordi Mukiele scored from a late corner. The Nerazzurri had previously maintained a perfect defensive record in the competition, but the loss marked a disappointing turn in their campaign.
Travelling without key players Denzel Dumfries, Benjamin Pavard, and Francesco Acerbi, Inter faced a Leverkusen side eager to bounce back from a recent 4-0 defeat to Liverpool. Despite their struggles, Leverkusen had only narrowly missed out on the Treble last season after losing to Atalanta in the Europa League Final.
The match began with Leverkusen displaying aggressive intent, with Andre Tella hitting the crossbar just three minutes in from a Jeremie Frimpong pull-back. Inter’s Hakan Calhanoglu tested the goalkeeper with a long-range shot that was deflected, while Yann Sommer had to stretch to save a powerful effort from Granit Xhaka.
Leverkusen continued to press, with Exequiel Palacios having an attempt deflected over the bar and Davide Frattesi failing to direct his header on target from a Calhanoglu assist. Inter’s defence was put to the test, with crucial tackles from Yann Bisseck and a vital clearance from Stefan de Vrij preventing any early goals.
However, chaos ensued during corners, and after several attempts were cleared, Mukiele found the net. His initial acrobatic effort was blocked, but he managed to retrieve the ball from the by-line and drilled it home through a crowded box from 12 yards out.
Goals: 90′ Mukiele (BL)
Bayer Leverkusen (4-1-4-1): Kovar; Mukiele, Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapié; Xhaka; Frimpong, Palacios, Wirtz, Grimaldo; Tella (82′ Terrier).
Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni; Darmian, Frattesi (66′ Barella), Calhanoglu (66′ Asllani), Zielinski, Carlos Augusto (55′ Dimarco); Thuram (66′ Lautaro Martinez), Taremi (84′ Arnautovic).
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