CSKA Moscow 0-1 Inter (0-2 agg)
Posted Wednesday, April 07, 2010 by theguardian.com
Wesley Sneijder books Inter's Champions League semi-final place
Wesley Sneijder celebrates after scoring Inter's winner at the Luzhniki Stadium.
Internazionale reached the last four of the Champions League for the first time since 2003 as they eased to victory in Russia. The Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder scored the only goal in the sixth minute as his low free-kick found its way through the CSKA Moscow wall and beyond the goalkeeper, Igor Akinfeev.
Things got worse for the home side when they had the substitute Chidi Odiah sent off early in the second half. Inter were comfortably able to repel any pressure and coast into the last four.
José Mourinho, the Inter manager, said: "The plan was to score before them. In Milan we scored on the 10th shot. Today we scored on the first one and the tie was in the pocket."
The CSKA coach, Leonid Slutsky, lamented the fast strike. "The quick goal made the task extremely difficult," he said. "Yes, we lost. But we never gave up. We played well."
Overhauling a 1-0 first-leg deficit always looked like a tough task for the home side, considering the way they were completely outplayed at San Siro last week and the absence of their key midfielder, Yevgeny Aldonin, and Milos Krasic through suspension.
But they made a bright start on the artificial pitch at Luzhniki Stadium and had an early effort on goal from the Japan midfielder Keisuke Honda, who dragged a long-range effort wide.
Inter landed an early body blow when they opened the scoring. Sneijder drilled in a low free-kick that flew under the leaping wall and fooled Akinfeev to end up in the back of the net.
Conceding the goal prompted an early response from the CSKA manager as he hauled off the defender Vasili Berezutsky after 13 minutes to replace him with Odiah.
Unfortunately Odiah did not cover himself with glory and was dismissed three minutes into the second half after he lunged in for a loose ball with Samuel Eto'o and was booked for a second time.
"Maybe it wasn't the most exciting game but the real prize was reaching the semi-finals," added Mourinho. "There were 500 Inter fans here in Moscow and our job was to make the semi-finals, not put on a show, and that's what we did ... It's five victories in a row now; we deserve to be in the semi-finals."
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