Inter’s win over Benfica in the Champions League quarter-final means that they will take on arch-rivals Milan in the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since the 2004/05 season.
While the iconic images of the last time they took on each other in the semi-finals of the Champions League are one way to get fans hyped up for the clash, this is the first time in the history of both clubs that Inter and Milan will play against each other five times in the same season. They have already played against each other twice in Serie A and once in the Supercoppa Italiana final.
Their meeting in the semi-final means that this will be the first time since 2017 that an Italian team will play in the final of the competition and the last time two Italian sides took on each other in a semi-final was back in 2005 itself, when these two sides came up against each other.Â
Famously enough, Milan won the competition the last time they reached the semi-final in 2007 and coincidentally, Inter also won the Champions League the last time they reached the semi-final under Jose Mourinho back in 2010.Â
While Italian football hasn’t had too many highs in recent years apart from the Euro 2020 win, the meeting between the two sides is a throwback to times when Calcio was much more reverred and dominant in European football despite all the flaws. An Italian side may not yet win the competition, but an Italian manager in Carlo Ancelotti might and that is what makes the semi-finals of the competition a spectacular occasion for Calcio.
Â
Â
Â
Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN
