Romelu Lukaku’s Late Miss Caps Tough-Luck Champions League Loss for Inter Milan

Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku, right, misses a scoring chance during the Champions League final match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye, Saturday, June 10, 2023. (AP)
Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku, right, misses a scoring chance during the Champions League final match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye, Saturday, June 10, 2023. (AP)
TT
20

Romelu Lukaku’s Late Miss Caps Tough-Luck Champions League Loss for Inter Milan

Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku, right, misses a scoring chance during the Champions League final match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye, Saturday, June 10, 2023. (AP)
Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku, right, misses a scoring chance during the Champions League final match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye, Saturday, June 10, 2023. (AP)

The chance for Inter Milan to score and tie the game late in the Champions League final was as clear as any team could hope for.

The ball floated slowly across the Manchester City goalmouth in the 89th minute toward the head of towering striker Romelu Lukaku, who stooped slightly four yards (meters) out with half the goal open to aim for.

Lukaku’s forehead guided the ball toward the net -– but almost straight at goalkeeper Ederson, whose left leg pushed it toward safety.

Somehow the 1-0 lead was intact and minutes later Man City was European champion for the first time, completing a rare treble with the English league and cup titles already sealed.

“I’m still wondering how it’s possible that we didn’t score at the end,” Inter coach Simone Inzaghi said. “We clearly deserved more.”

It had seemed inevitable that a striker of Lukaku’s quality, the all-time record scorer for Belgium, would find the net. Almost 20,000 Inter fans massed at that end of the stadium could hardly believe he didn't.

It was that kind of final for Inter. Even though a series of circumstances had given the Italian underdog a better shot at a fourth European title than most believed possible before kickoff.

Man City’s best defender, Kyle Walker, didn’t start the game, nursing an injury. Its best midfielder, Kevin De Bruyne, came off before the end of the first half because of a hamstring problem. Its star striker, Erling Haaland, was held in check for most of the game. And the goalkeeper, Ederson, had an uncharacteristically shaky first half.

Yet Inter never came close to scoring before halftime.

Then, within minutes of falling behind to Man City midfielder Rodri’s 68th-minute shot, Inter still could not convert back-to-back chances. Both were clear headers in the goalmouth, the start of a misery-making hat trick of missed opportunities.

First, Federico Dimarco slipped behind the Man City defense to loop a slow header over Ederson who fell back into his goal as the ball bounced back of the crossbar.

The ball came back to Dimarco who crouched and dived to direct it back toward goal -– and straight into the sturdy legs of Lukaku blocking the path.

“We’re really upset, we’re really upset to have lost this final,” Dimarco said. “We’re left with so much disappointment because we played against City like equals.”

There were other attacks crafted by Inter, often with the guile of Lautaro Martinez at their heart. He took his best shooting angle from a tight angle that Ederson saved when Lukaku had demanded a pass to him.

Martinez, at least, can look back on a season where he became a World Cup winner with Argentina in Qatar.

For Lukaku, however, the end of his Champions League season was eerily similar to the end of his World Cup campaign.

In the final minutes of a tense, tight group-stage game, 0-0 against Croatia, a single goal would have lifted the Belgians into the round of 16 and sent eventual semifinalists Croatia home.

Lukaku -- on also as a substitute then, again because of recent injury -- had a chance fall to him two yards (meters) from goal. The ball struck his midriff and went back across the goalmouth to Croatia’s goalkeeper.

It has not been Lukaku’s season. Minutes after the final whistle, he stood still alone and was approached by Man City defender Nathan Ake, then shared a long embrace and words with Ilkay Gündoğan, who would soon lift the iconic trophy for the English club.

It was not Inter’s night, and it has not been Italy’s time.

Three European finals, three losses in 11 days. Inter joined beaten finalists Roma in the Europa League and Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League.

“I want to congratulate Inter for their performance I know how they feel,” Man City coach Pep Guardiola, said, reflecting on his team’s 1-0 loss to Chelsea in the 2021 final. “We felt it two years ago.”



Messi and Miami Stunned By LAFC In CONCACAF Champions Cup

No way through: Lionel Messi endured a frustrating night in Inter Miami's 1-0 defeat to LAFC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup (Frederic J. Brown) - AFP
No way through: Lionel Messi endured a frustrating night in Inter Miami's 1-0 defeat to LAFC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup (Frederic J. Brown) - AFP
TT
20

Messi and Miami Stunned By LAFC In CONCACAF Champions Cup

No way through: Lionel Messi endured a frustrating night in Inter Miami's 1-0 defeat to LAFC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup (Frederic J. Brown) - AFP
No way through: Lionel Messi endured a frustrating night in Inter Miami's 1-0 defeat to LAFC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup (Frederic J. Brown) - AFP

Los Angeles FC sent Lionel Messi and Inter Miami spinning to their first defeat of the season on Wednesday, scoring an upset 1-0 victory in their CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-final first-leg clash.

A 57th-minute strike from Los Angeles-born El Salvador international Nathan Ordaz handed LAFC a precious advantage heading into next Wednesday's return leg in Florida.

"I think we saw a complete performance," said LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo, whose only complaint was that his team had not managed to win by a more convincing margin.

"If we're honest with ourselves we need to be a little sharper in front of goal. If we get the same types of chances next week in Miami we need to be a little more ruthless."

Miami coach Javier Mascherano had few complaints about his team's defeat, according to AFP.

"Obviously we didn't have the best night tonight but it's only the first leg," Mascherano said.

"We have another game next week. We can do what we need to reach the semi-finals."

Unbeaten in nine games across all competitions since the start of the season, Messi and Miami arrived in Los Angeles as the form team of Major League Soccer.

But after a cagey first half that saw neither side manage to get on top, Los Angeles raised their intensity and began causing problems for the visitors.

LAFC fullback Ryan Hollingshead squandered a golden chance in the 54th minute, blasting well wide after bursting into the penalty area on the overlap.

They made the breakthrough three minutes later with the 21-year-old homegrown striker Ordaz spinning away from former Barcelona and Spain international Sergio Busquets and thumping a low shot into the bottom corner past Miami keeper Oscar Ustari.

Argentine superstar Messi, making his first start since returning as a substitute last weekend following a two-week injury layoff, struggled to gain a foothold in the contest.

Instead it was Los Angeles who looked likeliest to score in front of a raucous home crowd of 22,207 fans at the BMO Stadium that included NBA superstar Stephen Curry, Miami team owner David Beckham and Argentina national team manager Lionel Scaloni.

US international Aaron Long headed just over from a free-kick in the 63rd minute, and moments later only a desperate goal-line block from Miami defender Maxi Falcon denied LAFC midfielder Timothy Tillman.

Falcon had one of Miami's few chances in the second half, glancing a header towards the bottom corner that LAFC's former France international goalkeeper Hugo Lloris gathered comfortably.

In a sign of mounting Miami frustration, Busquets was booked for a wild challenge on Cengiz Under.

A disappointing night for Messi was summed up by his failure to make the most of a free-kick in a promising position deep into stoppage time, with the Argentine sending his shot whistling well over the bar as LAFC held on for a deserved victory.