The secret of Inter’s solitary lead in the Champions League table is a rock-solid defense!
The Nerazzurri are yet to concede a single goal in this European campaign and, thanks to tonight’s win over RB Leipzig at the San Siro, they are now alone at the top of the UCL table. Only Liverpool and Monaco, who both play tomorrow, have a chance to reach Simone Inzaghi’s side.
An unlucky own goal from French defender Castello Lukeba got the job done for Inter as they caught their fourth win in five games so far. Lukeba deflected the ball into his own goal from a set piece taken by Federico Dimarco with 27 minutes on the clock.
Inter then minded to defend their single-goal lead, a task made easier by Leipzig’s inconsistency upfront. The German side have collected five losses out of their five Champions League outings this season and now need a miracle to avoid ending their campaign before the knockout stage. Their only shot on target of the night, powered by Antonio Nusa, found Yann Sommer up to the task.
Inter, on the other hand, should have added a second to their tally but the referee disallowed Marcus Thuram’s late winner as he caught the French striker committing a foul in the build-up to his goal. Thuram replaced Mehdi Taremi in the middle of the second half as Inzaghi deployed the Iranian striker alongside Lautaro Martinez upfront.
Benjamin Pavard picked up a left thigh injury early on and was forced to leave the pitch. That was the only piece of bad news of the night for Inzaghi, who can now look at the upcoming Serie A away match at Fiorentina with confidence.
MATCH SCORECARD
November 26, 2024 – Champions League 2024/2025 First Round
INTER – RB LEIPZIG 1-0
SCORER: 27′ Lukeba o.g.
INTER (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard (44’ Bisseck), de Vrij, Bastoni (65’ Carlos Augusto); Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu (76’ Mkhitaryan), Zielinski, Dimarco; Taremi (65’ Thuram), Lautaro Martinez (76’ Arnautovic) (Di Gennaro, J. Martinez, Buchanan, Asllani, Darmian, Aidoo) Coach: S. Inzaghi | |
RB LEIPZIG (4-4-2): Gulacsi; Geertruida (85’ Gebel), Orban, Lukeba, Hentichs; Baumgartner (61’ Ouedraogo) (70’ Vermeeren), Haidara (61’ Seiwald), Kampl, Nusa; André Silva (61’ Sesko), Openda (Vandevoordt) Coach: Rose |
NOTES: Yellow Cards: Pavard, Bastoni (I), Baumgartner, Lukeba (L); Added Time: 1st Half 1′, 2nd Half 4′