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Romelu Lukaku’s strike late in the game handed Inter Milan a slender advantage into the the return-leg.
Inter Milan were set to rue profligacy and draw against a gutsy Porto side but were handed a numerical advantage with 12 minutes to go, and they duly capitalised, winning the game 1-0.
Inter hosted Portuguese giants Porto at the Guiseppe Meazza as they looked to continue their impressive Champions League campaign. The visitors put up a decent challenge, but a red card to Otavio handicapped them, leaving them vulnerable to a Romelu Lukaku effort.
The victory hands Inter Milan the advantage as they travel to Portugal in two weeks for the return leg.
How it happened
Inter Milan started the dominant side and went close to pulling ahead when Federico Dimarco found Lautaro Martinez at the far post but the Argentine skied his header.
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Lautaro Martinez was wasteful against Porto
Martinez, the Inter Captain on the day, made amends for his initial miss defensively, blocking a goal-bound shot from Mehdi Tahremi, but was found lacking in his primary responsibility once more failing in an attempted volley.
Both teams continued to create chances, but it was Inter who came closest on the stroke of half-time when Bastoni’s close-range header was halted by Diogo Costa in a show of cat-like reflexes.
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Bastoni dejected after Diogo Costa denied his effort
Porto stepped up their game in the second-half and regularly threatened Inter’s goal. They came closest when Zaidu Sanusi was found in space on the left-hand channel. The Nigerian’s shot was blocked, but the ball fell into the path of Taremi whose strike was saved by Andre Onana in goal for Inter.
Porto were hit with a disadvantage in the 78th minute of the game when star man Otavio tripped Hakan Calhanoglu as he attempted to release a shot. The Portuguese midfielder was shown his second yellow of the night and was sent in for an early shower.
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Lukaku inspired Inter to victory against Porto
Inter capitalised on the extra-man as they intensified their attacks. They reaped rewards in the 86th minute of the game when substitute Lukaku rebounded his own header that crashed against the bar into the back of the net. Porto made a late attempt for an equaliser, but the scoreline remain the same upon the referee’s final whistle.
Brilliant display by Sanusi
The marauding full-back has had a good Champions League campaign for Porto this season as they powered through the group stage into the knockout stages, and his performance against Inter was another of such ilk.
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Zaidu Sanusi was immense against Porto
The Nigerian made an impressive five tackles, with opposition attackers never succeeding in dribbling past him. He also racked up a game-high eight clearances while also being an attacking threat for the Dragons, firing an attempt at Onana’s goal.
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