Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich with great counter-attacks and defensive solidity | OneFootball

In a tightly contested game at the Allianz Arena (where the final will be played on May 29), Inter Milan claimed a vital away win against Bayern Munich 2-1 to take a lead into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. The Italians were very comfortable with their reactive style of play and were once again effective.

Vincent Kompany chose full-back Raphaël Guerreiro over Thomas Müller and Gnabry to replace the injured Jamal Musiala, with a defensive breakdown more important for Bayern's tactical operation. The strategy initially worked, with the German team always going forward with a lot of players in attack. Laimer, Olise and Guerreiro put in good performances and were important in the first half, which was also marred by a big mistake by Harry Kane at the end.

Inter Milan took advantage of this to open the scoring with a great counter-attack. Bastoni drove the ball in from the left and set up Carlos Augusto, who crossed for Thuram to square the ball and Lautaro Martínez to hit a firm shot past the opposing goalkeeper. In the second half, Inter were even more compact, opting for a 5-3-2 formation, leaving Bayern to keep possession.

FC Bayern München v FC Internazionale Milano - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Quarter Final First Leg | Stefan Matzke - sampics/GettyImages

Bayern played the ball around a lot without managing to create any real danger, having to opt for crosses to threaten the Italians again. However, the Bayern fans were already waiting for a special moment when Müller replaced Guerreiro, and in the 79th minute, the all-time leading scorer took advantage of the leftover space in the penalty area after Laimer's cross to score a special goal.

However, the resilient Inter Milan once again sprang a surprise and went in search of the winning goal straight away. Barella linked up with Lautaro in midfield, and the Argentine set up Carlos Augusto, who broke into the box and crossed into the middle for Frattesi to finish and secure a deserved win at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern and Inter put on a great show at the Allianz Arena

Bayern Munich certainly suffered from the impact of Musiala's injury with a less creative midfield in terms of finishing, while Inter Milan fulfilled their mission of presenting a solid defense and showing extreme quality on the counter-attacks. However, this match remains undecided, with the clash at the San Siro promising strong emotions.