Reflections : Inter Milan vs. Chelsea

It was said to be the biggest tie of the UCL round of 16 for 2009-10. It was also meant to be a personal battle between Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho. What we got in the end was not a spectacle in terms of the football played but still an exciting game with several unpredictable moments.

The start itself was quite sensational. A well worked team move by Inter was finished off with aplomb by Diego Milito. John Terry was at fault for the goal but it was a very good finish showing why Milito should be ranked with the very best strikers in the world today if he is not already given that status. It was also a message to Diego Maradona that if he does not take El Principe to WC 2010 he would be committing harakiri.

Then onwards Chelsea dominated possession in the first half and Inter were content to sit back a little and soak up the pressure. However when Inter did get possession they launched very quick attacks which looked a wee bit more precise than the ones Chelsea launched and Inter's rearguard also looked that much more reassured than Chelsea's. Chelsea did have several shots at goal and even on target but mostly from long distances. Drogba's shots did look dangerous though including one free kick he took. The reason Chelsea could not get players close to Inter's goal was a very commendable performance by Inter's back line. Lucio needs to be singled out for not only speed of feet but more importantly his ability to read the game. Also the ageless warrior Javier Zanetti playing as left back this time was yet again very good doing all of helping out his central defenders, adding an extra midfielder in the pitch and of course running along the flanks to launch attacks. This is another player who Maradona should just not leave out because no matter where he plays he can and will make a difference.

Inter had a really good chance to double their lead when the ball fell to Samuel Eto'o and Chelsea's defenders were slightly away from him. Unfortunately the Cameroonian's touch let him down and the chance was wasted. In all Eto'o didn't have a good game. Other than this missed chance he did take a few decent touches but did not look sharp or clinical enough especially considering he was that one sure shot world class player Inter had been proud to acquire this summer.

The came a moment of controversy when Diego Milito went down in the box. It's not very clear whether there was any contact on him but even if there was it was slight and Milito did exaggerate it. He was booked for that but this will remain a talking point.

A much bigger moment of controversy and more came right at the end of the first half. Chelsea had a very strong claim for a penalty because from a throw in Salomon Kalou had caught the Inter defense napping and had raced towards their goal only to be fouled by Walter Samuel very close to the goal mouth. The replays clearly show both the defender's hand and his leg making contact with the attacker. The referee was far away from the incident and waved play on without consulting the linesman. Needless to say this will remain the biggest talking point in the match and how a penalty for Chelsea at that stage could have altered the complexion of the match and consequently the tie.

The second half began and continued in much the same way. Just when the game seemed like it was settling down Chelsea scored almost out of the blue. A decent long shot by Kalou who did play a part in several important moments hit Julio Cesar's hand when he was trying to save it but the goal keeper who is currently known as one of the world's best did the unexpected by pushing it into his own net while trying to keep it out. 1-1 and Chelsea were back in it.

However just when it seemed it would be one more of the sorry European stories for Inter and Chelsea would show what a powerful European team they are Inter got one more goal. A rebound from Chelsea's penalty area was struck so wonderfully by Esteban Cambiasso using such great technique that Petr Cech had no chance. 2-1 and Inter in the driving seat once again. And before we forget Mr. Maradona this is another player who you should not ignore and Walter Samuel as well.

However a 2-1 win in a home leg is by no means a safe result and could even arguably be called an even result. Knowing this a bit too well Mourinho decided to gamble especially seeing that Chelsea's rearguard which had Malouda playing as a makeshift left back did not look very convincing. He threw on Balotelli to replace Thiago Motta when Motta had actually had quite a decent game going one on one with Michael Ballack and giving him a tough time both offensively and defensively. Mourinho was encouraged to go for the jugular even more when Petr Cech suffered a major injury and had to be replaced by Henrique Hilario. He finally replaced Eto'o who had arguably been one of Inter's worst players on the night with the exciting Balotelli.

After this the action promised much with both sides wanting one more goal but nothing much happened. There was a really good shot by Lampard which Cesar saved well and Zanetti prevented the Chelsea players from having any chance with the rebound.

So it ended 2-1 and one has to say it is fantastically poised.

This has got to be one of Inter's best performances in a UCL knock out match or even in a UCL match against top class opposition in many years. This team was completely unrecognizable from the team that faced Manchester United last year in the first leg at the same stage at home, got battered in the first half and were very lucky not to concede a goal. Overall Mourinho's teams are nothing if they don't have character and this team certainly showed enough of it.

Can Inter finally make their mark in Europe? Can Mourinho put one over his old club? During the last few days the Special One has put on a garb of friendliness towards Chelsea. Well it would be worth reminding that immediately after leaving his post as Chelsea manager Mourinho had proclaimed that if he ever met Chelsea he would absolutely knock them out. A 2-1 lead is not a big one and can easily be overturned even by a 1-0 result. However there is another side to it. If Inter score first at Stamford Bridge one would have to call them favorites for the tie because Mourinho sure has the capability to shore up the rearguard enough so as not to concede two goals in ninety minutes. Chelsea will at least be worried. Will their continuous dominance as a powerful UCL team be met by a somewhat surprising early exit? Only time can answer all these questions and one just cannot wait for the second leg.

What would it mean to Inter if they can progress to the quarter finals? Well literally everything. Finally they would have made something of a mark in Europe and Mourinho would have to be considered one of the best managers of the modern era if he is not already considered that by some people. What's more is that they will feel such a surge of confidence that they would be well capable of beating any team. In fact after this anything less than winning the UCL title would be seen as a disappointment. Also it's worth mentioning that even though Inter have been domestically dominant for the last few years they have still been a bit surprisingly outperformed by an aging Milan side in UCL. This time Milan is very unlikely to go through against ManUtd. So it would also be time to put one over their city rivals while also keeping them away from the Scudetto in what is once again becoming a somewhat open race for the Serie A title.