Inter ease past Feyenoord to set up Bayern quarterfinal
Inter vs Feyenoord
Inter Milan secured their passage to the Champions League quarterfinals with a 2-1 victory over Feyenoord in the second leg of their last-16 tie at the San Siro on Tuesday, clinching a comfortable 4-1 aggregate triumph that showcased their dominance and kept their dreams of a European treble alive. Marcus Thuram and Hakan Çalhanoglu provided the decisive goals, each displaying their individual brilliance in a match that underlined Inter’s credentials as serious contenders in this season’s competition. The Serie A leaders, under the stewardship of Simone Inzaghi, now set their sights on a blockbuster quarterfinal clash with Bundesliga pacesetters Bayern Munich, who dispatched Bayer Leverkusen with a resounding 5-0 aggregate scoreline. For Inter, a club with a storied history that includes three Champions League titles—the most recent in 2010 when they defeated Bayern in the final during a historic treble-winning campaign—this latest victory keeps them on course to replicate that golden era. With a Coppa Italia semifinal also on the horizon in April, Inzaghi’s squad is brimming with confidence, blending attacking flair with defensive solidity to emerge as a formidable force across multiple fronts. Feyenoord, despite a spirited effort, found themselves outmatched, their hopes of a miraculous comeback extinguished early as Inter’s clinical efficiency and tactical nous proved too much to overcome.
The match ignited almost immediately, with Inter asserting their authority from the opening whistle and Feyenoord’s goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther thrust into action within minutes. Henrikh Mkhitaryan tested the Dutch stopper with a venomous shot that Wellenreuther failed to hold, though he redeemed himself by collecting Carlos Augusto’s headed effort from the subsequent corner. Feyenoord, desperate to claw back the 2-0 deficit from the first leg in Rotterdam, responded with youthful exuberance as 18-year-old debutant Aymen Sliti unleashed a speculative effort from distance. However, Inter’s seasoned goalkeeper Yann Sommer was untroubled, easily smothering the winger’s shot as the visitors sought an early foothold. That foothold never materialized, and by the eighth minute, Feyenoord’s task morphed from daunting to near-impossible thanks to a moment of magic from Marcus Thuram. The French striker, who had already opened the scoring in the first leg at De Kuip, picked up the ball on the left flank, embarked on a mazy run that saw him cut inside with deft footwork, and then curled an exquisite shot into the far top corner, leaving Wellenreuther rooted to the spot. It was a goal of sublime quality, one that not only doubled Inter’s aggregate lead but also silenced the traveling Feyenoord supporters, who had arrived in Milan clinging to faint hopes of an upset. Thuram’s strike set the tone for Inter’s performance, a blend of individual brilliance and collective intent that Feyenoord struggled to counter.
As Inter pressed their advantage, Mehdi Taremi nearly added to the tally, firing a shot straight at Wellenreuther as the hosts sought to bury the tie beyond reach. Feyenoord, however, showed their resilience just before the break, clawing back a glimmer of hope with a penalty in the 42nd minute. The spot kick came after Çalhanoglu was adjudged to have fouled Jakub Moder in the box, a decision that briefly disrupted Inter’s rhythm. Moder dusted himself off and coolly slotted the penalty into the bottom corner, beating Sommer to score just the second goal Inter had conceded in the competition this season—and the first at the San Siro. The strike injected a flicker of belief into Feyenoord’s ranks, cutting Inter’s aggregate lead to 3-1 and hinting at the possibility of a dramatic turnaround. Yet, that optimism proved fleeting, as Inter emerged from the interval with renewed purpose and swiftly extinguished any notion of a Feyenoord resurgence. Six minutes into the second half, Çalhanoglu atoned for his earlier error by stepping up to take a penalty of his own, awarded after Thomas Beelen clumsily felled Taremi in the box. The Turkish midfielder dispatched his effort with precision, restoring Inter’s two-goal cushion on the night and effectively sealing their progression with a 4-1 aggregate scoreline. It was a moment of redemption for Çalhanoglu, whose composure under pressure underscored Inter’s ability to respond to adversity with decisive action.
With Feyenoord forced to throw caution to the wind in pursuit of a miracle, Inter capitalized on the spaces left exposed, turning the game into a showcase of their counterattacking prowess. The hosts repeatedly threatened to extend their lead, with Thuram at the heart of their most dangerous moments. Late in the game, Inter thought they had earned another penalty, only for a VAR review to overturn the call, deeming Thuram’s fall in the box as simulation—a decision that earned the striker a yellow card instead of a spot kick. Despite the booking, Thuram’s impact remained undeniable, and he nearly capped his stellar performance with a thunderous shot that crashed off the underside of the crossbar, a strike that left the San Siro crowd gasping and Wellenreuther beaten but spared by the woodwork. When Thuram was eventually substituted, he departed to a standing ovation from the home faithful, a fitting tribute to a player who had tormented Feyenoord across both legs. From there, Inter managed the game with aplomb, their defense—anchored by the likes of Alessandro Bastoni and Francesco Acerbi—standing firm against Feyenoord’s increasingly desperate attacks. The final whistle confirmed Inter’s dominance, their 2-1 win on the night a microcosm of a tie they had controlled from start to finish, leaving little doubt about their superiority over their Dutch opponents.
Looking ahead, Inter’s quarterfinal showdown with Bayern Munich looms as a tantalizing prospect, pitting two of Europe’s in-form sides against each other in a rematch of the 2010 final that saw Inter claim their third Champions League crown. Bayern’s demolition of Bayer Leverkusen signals their intent, but Inter’s current form—unbeaten at the top of Serie A and now nine games without defeat in the Champions League—suggests they will relish the challenge. Inzaghi’s side has evolved into a well-oiled machine, blending the physicality of players like Thuram with the guile of Çalhanoglu and the flair of Taremi, all underpinned by a defensive resilience that has conceded just two goals in the competition thus far. The prospect of a treble remains alive, with the Coppa Italia semifinal adding another layer of ambition to an already promising campaign. For Feyenoord, the defeat marks the end of a valiant European journey, their spirited display in Milan unable to mask the gulf in quality exposed over the two legs. As Inter shift focus to their domestic commitments and the looming Bayern clash, the San Siro faithful can dream of a return to the pinnacle of European football, buoyed by a performance that married spectacle with substance and reaffirmed their status as a team to be feared.
