Romelu Lukakuat 86 minutes, managed to reflect on the scoreboard the global superiority of Inter in the match, although the Porto He also had chances that put the Nerazzurri in trouble. Thanks to his goal, it will be the team trained by simone inzaghi the one who will start with the advantage in the second leg, on March 14 at the Estádio do Dragao.
The match, mostly dominated by the locals, was plagued with chances, with the goalkeepers of both teams intervening numerous times to keep their clean sheets until the final stretch.
In front of their fans, Inter started the game by dominating and looking for the rival area, with a first great opportunity from the Argentine Lautaro Martínez (10′). Goalkeeper Diogo Costa stopped this action and another great attempt with a cross shot from outside the box by Turkish Hakan Çalhanoglu (18′).
The Portuguese also had a great chance in the boots of Serbian Marko Grujic (37′) that Andre Onana cleared with his legs. But it would be again the Porto goalkeeper who, in added time in the first half, pulled out an impossible hand to stop a powerful header from Alessandro Bastoni (45+2′).
THE FIRST ON THE STICK, THE SECOND INSIDE: Lukaku made Inter 1-0 against Porto in the #CHAMPIONSxESPN.
? Look at the #UCL by #ESPNenStarPlus pic.twitter.com/KimfTaqPKN
– SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) February 22, 2023
Expulsion of Otávio, decisive
The second half started with the same script and Nicolo Barella was close to the goal with a shot that skimmed the post (52′).
Porto reacted to Barella’s warning with two actions: the first, in the boots of Iranian Mehdi Taremi, who culminated a good incursion into the area with a shot that was finally saved by Onana (55′). The Cameroonian goalkeeper was once again the protagonist seconds later, making two consecutive saves against Porto’s attempts from inside the area (57′).
The game calmed down and Inter gradually regained the initiative, brushing the goal with a great lateral pass from the Belgian Romelu Lukaku that Martínez missed by centimeters (72′).
The Otávio sent off for a double yellow cardin minute 78′, gave wings to the Nerazzurri, who in the last few minutes turned to take advantage of their numerical superiority and search for the winning goal.
And, after several threats in the final stretch of the game, it was Lukaku who finally beat Diogo Costa. The Belgian headed a cross into the box and smashed the ball against the post but he recovered the rebound and did not forgive, scoring a goal that tipped the balance for the Italian team before the return leg.
The entrance Lukaku gives Inter the win against Porto was first published on newspaper TODAY.
