Inter Milan took a significant step toward the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals with a commanding 2-0 win over Feyenoord Rotterdam in their last-16 first-leg clash.
The result extended Inter’s impressive unbeaten streak against Dutch opposition in European competition to 12 matches, putting them firmly in control ahead of the second leg.
Feyenoord, having already eliminated AC Milan from the competition earlier in the season, were hoping to complete a double over the city’s giants.
They nearly made an ideal start to that ambition, launching an early counterattack that saw Ibrahim Osman force a save from Josep Martinez inside the first five minutes.
Inter found it difficult to impose themselves during the first half, but they were presented with a golden opportunity around the half-hour mark.
Marcus Thuram broke free and squared the ball perfectly for Lautaro Martinez, only for a heroic last-ditch block to deny the Argentine forward a certain goal. However, Feyenoord’s relief was short-lived.
Shortly before halftime, Nicolo Barella orchestrated a breakthrough with a pinpoint cross to the back post, where Thuram acrobatically finished to hand Inter the lead.
The home side nearly doubled their advantage moments later, as Martinez managed to test Timon Wellenreuther, but the Feyenoord goalkeeper reacted well to keep the effort out.
Martinez, though, would not be denied for long. Within five minutes of the second half, the striker capitalized on a loose ball in the area and smashed his effort high into the net, doubling Inter’s lead and tightening their grip on the tie.
Feyenoord’s chances of staging a comeback grew slimmer when Thuram was brought down in the box by Jeyland Mitchell. The Dutch defender initially thought he had escaped punishment, but after a swift VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot.
Piotr Zielinski stepped up to take the penalty, aiming for the bottom left corner, but Wellenreuther produced an outstanding save to deny him.
Feyenoord then felt they should have been awarded a penalty of their own when Ayase Ueda went down under a challenge from Stefan de Vrij.
However, referee Espen Eskas remained unmoved, leaving the visitors frustrated.
Desperate for a lifeline, Feyenoord pushed forward in the final moments in search of a crucial away goal, but Inter’s defense held firm.
Now, the Dutch side face an uphill battle in next week’s second leg, needing to overturn a two-goal deficit against a team that hasn’t lost a home Champions League match since September 2022—let alone by the three-goal margin they now require.
