Published 10:19 IST, January 27th 2021
Christian Eriksen strikes stunning free-kick in Milan derby to power Inter's win: WATCH
Inter Milan midfielder Christian Eriksen scored a stunning free-kick in the injury time of the game to knock out AC Milan from the Coppa Italia final eight.
The Milano derby reignited age-old rivalry between the two San Siro outfits in an attempt to edge past the quarter-final of the Coppa Italia. The two Milan clubs have been neck-to-neck in the Serie A title race this season and their rivalry was further intensified in the knockout competition on Tuesday. Antonio Conte's men got the better of AC Milan as club outcast Christian Eriksen went on to strike the winner in the injury time.
Coppa Italia result: Ibrahimovic's opener cancelled by Lukaku's spot-kick
Zlatan Ibrahimovic bagged the opener for Stefano Pioli in the 31st minute, despite a poor freekick from Brahim Diaz. Soualiho Meite headed the ball towards the 39-year-old, who produced a composed finish past Samir Handanovic. But Lukaku went on to net the equaliser in the second half.
The Belgium international converted from the spot to cancel Ibrahimovic's opener. Milan forward Rafael Leao was caught fouling Nicolo Barella inside the penalty box, resulting into a spot-kick. And the 27-year-old did well, sending Ciprian Tatarusanu the wrong way.
AC Milan vs Inter Milan: Christian Eriksen's freekick knocks out Rossoneri
With 10 minutes of extra time, the two teams pushed for the winner further. But Conte had the last laugh as his substitution proved to be the key in Inter's advance in the final four of the competition. The former Chelsea boss introduced Eriksen in the 88th minute, who went on to net the winner, converting a sublime freekick over and above the defensive wall. But there was more to the clash than just goals.
Just before the first-half whistle, Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku and Ibrahimovic ended up arguing with each other. Lukaku was left infuriated after a foul from Milan skipper Alessio Romagnoli. And the former Swede striker could not keep himself aloof from the development and went up head-to-head against his former Manchester United teammate. Later in the second half, Ibrahimovic was sent off following a second booking for the foul on Aleksander Kolarov.
Eriksen transfer to Premier League on cards?
Meanwhile, the Eriksen free-kick seeks to assert his quality in the midfield despite his struggles, ever since his move to Inter Milan a year back. The Dane has been linked with several top clubs across Europe. Manchester United, Leicester City and Arsenal are among the few Premier League outfits keen on sealing the Eriksen transfer this window.
Also Read | Inter Milan fail to pay first instalment of Hakimi’s £36m transfer fee to Real Madrid
Image courtesy: Inter Twitter
Updated 10:19 IST, January 27th 2021