Inter aim to see off

Benfica were an outsider ahead of the Champions League quarterfinals to go all the way to the final in Istanbul. The Eagles soared in the previous rounds of the competition, raising expectations.

The team’s quarterfinal first leg against Inter Milan couldn’t have gone worse. The Italians went to the Stadio da Luz in Lisbon and left with a 2-0 win.

Nicolo Barella scored in the 51st minute to put Inter into the lead. Romelu Lukaku’s second-half penalty doubled the lead.

Benfica’s two-goal deficit will be difficult to overcome. The Eagles struggled to break down Inter’s attack in the first leg.Benfica managed just two shots on target from 12 total shots.

Inter Milan saw less of the ball (42%) and had fewer shots (nine), but still came out on top. Coach Simone Inzaghi was under intense pressure ahead of kick-off due to Inter’s poor league results this season. The Nerazzurri’s first-leg win should have eased the pressure.

The Italians have one foot in the semifinals, where they will play either AC Milan or Napoli. Inter are the last Italian team to win the Champions League, which they did in 2010 under Jose Mourinho.

Despite the Champions League win, Inter lost 1-0 at the weekend to Monza in the San Siro. Inzaghi played most of his top players, the ones that will play against Benfica on Wednesday. Perhaps the loss can be simply put down to a lack of focus.

Inter aim to see off

Benfica’s quarterfinal first-leg loss to Inter Milan was between a domestic defeat to FC Porto and a shock 1-0 loss away to Chaves over the weekend.

The Eagles are on a three-match losing streak and the wheels have come off.

The Eagles’ lead at the top of the Primeira Liga is just four points over FC Porto. Roger Schmidt is now facing the possibility of being knocked out of the Champions League and losing the Primeira Liga title race.