Milito downs Bayern to give Mourinho’s Inter treble
Diego Milito scored both goals as Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2-0
in the Champions League final at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday as
charismatic coach Jose Mourinho engineered an historic treble.
Argentine striker Milito embarrassed each of Bayern’s centre-backs in
turn as the Bavarians’ vulnerable defensive core was ruthlessly exposed.
In their first Champions League final since 1972, Inter won their
third European title and first since 1965.
They also became the first Italian team to achieve the treble of
Serie A, Italian Cup and Champions League.
But the celebrations were tempered by Mourinho admitting that the
match would almost certainly be his last as he seeks new challenges
having become only the third coach to win the European title with two
different clubs.
“I want to be the only coach to win the Champions League with three
different clubs,” he said. “It’s more likely that I will leave rather
than stay.”
Real Madrid are widely expected to be Mourinho’s new employers.
Bayern coach Louis Van Gaal, who once worked with Mourinho at Barcelona,
was not impressed by the Italian side’s tactics.
“Inter are a hard team to play and I think we played attractive
football,” said the Dutchman.
“We tried to attack in tight spaces. We choose to play offensively.
Inter won and they have every right to play the way they want.”
Milito said: “I’m 30, I had to wait a long time to win a trophy like
this but this is football and football always gives you a chance to make
amends. “I thank Jose Mourinho and the president for bringing me here
last summer, tonight was just fantastic.”
Inter’s Samuel Eto’o became only the fourth player to win the
competition in successive seasons with different clubs having been on
the Barcelona winning team a year ago.
Bayern came closest early on as Arjen Robben beat Cristian Chivu and
Walter Samuel with some wing wizardry down the right but Ivica Olic
prodded his cross wide of the near post.
Hamit Altintop then created space on the edge of the Inter box on 13
minutes but his shot was deflected for a corner.
Bayern had a decent penalty shout when Daniel Van Buyten’s header hit
Maicon’s arm.
Wesley Sneijder tried his luck with a 40-yard free-kick which skimmed
off Altintop’s head but goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt was alert to punch
clear.
Robben had an opportunity with Inter bodies around him but he hurried
it and shot embarrassingly off target.
Milito’s first goal on 35 minutes came against the run of play and
from a defensive lapse as Inter targeted the fragile heart of Bayern’s
defence.
Goalkeeper Julio Cesar punted the ball upfield and Milito held off
Martin Demichelis to flick it on to Sneijder.
The Argentine forward then turned and left his compatriot on the
wrong side of goal before taking Sneijder’s return pass and exploiting
the gap behind Demichelis to clip the ball over Butt. Inter should have
scored a second before the break when Milito dragged Demichelis out of
position again, wide left this time and played in Sneijder through the
middle but the Dutch playmaker shot straight at Butt.
If the nervy and cautious first half was a disappointment, the start
of the second quickly made up for that.
From the kick-off Bayern opened up Inter thanks to a flick by Olic to
Altintop, who then slipped in Thomas Muller but he overstretched as he
shot and hit Cesar’s legs.
A minute later Samuel drove out of defence, played the ball to Goran
Pandev and he played it out to Milito who cut inside Van Buyten and
pulled the ball back for Pandev, but the Macedonia forward’s left-foot
curler was tipped over acrobatically by Butt.
Lucio then took an unecessary risk in his own box and put Maicon in
trouble with the full-back losing the ball to Altintop who shot narrowly
wide.
Sneijder had a couple more free-kick chances but shot over with the
first and Butt easily saved the second.
Up the other end Esteban Cambiasso headed a high bouncing Muller
effort off the line before Cesar made a one handed save to stop a Robben
inswinger from wide right that was heading for the top corner. Samuel
then made a couple of timely blocks to deny Muller as Bayern pressed.
But Milito settled the match 20 minutes from time.
He beat Van Buyten one-on-one, dropped a shoulder before stroking the
ball home past Butt with aplomb for his sixth goal in the tournament
this season.
MADRID, Sunday (AFP) |