MILAN (Reuters) – Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi described their run to the Champions League semi-finals as a dream and said they will give it all they have got against city rivals AC Milan as they battle to become the first Italian finalists for six years.
Inzaghi could not hide his excitement after his team drew 3-3 with Benfica in their second leg on Wednesday to win their quarter-final 5-3 on aggregate, reaching the Champions League semis for the first time since they won the trophy 13 years ago.
“My boys? They were historic,” Inzaghi told Inter TV when asked about his players’ performance.
“It’s historic, because of what they are doing, reaching both the Champions League and Coppa Italia semi-finals.
“We know that some points were left on the road in the Italian league, but it’s most because of a crazy schedule.
“When we were drawn in a group with Bayern and Barcelona back in August, we were very, very far away.”
Inter won Europe’s top club competition for the third time in 2010 and were the last Italian side to triumph with Juventus losing the 2015 and 2017 finals.
The Milan teams have met twice in the Champions League knockout stages, the 2002-03 semis and 2004-05 quarter-finals with AC Milan, seven-times European champions, winning both ties.
“We deserved to reach this semi-final. It was a dream but now we’re here and we’ll play it big,” said Inzaghi, whose side reached the knockouts by coming through a group that also included Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
“I’m happy for the lads and their journey. We started from a very difficult group with Bayern and Barca but we were good, united together with the fans, who helped us a lot.
“We work every day to live these days that have been missing here at Inter for many years. We know what this derby represents for everyone here. We are happy and we will play it in the best way.”
Inter and AC Milan will clash at the San Siro in the first leg on May 10 and on May 16 in the second leg. The winners will face Real Madrid or Manchester City, who meet in the semi-finals for the second consecutive season.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Toby Davis)
