Inter Milan dominated Arsenal 1-0 at the Giuseppe-Meazza Stadium on Wednesday at the end of the fourth day of the Champions League and remain undefeated in the competition.
The match between two of the most attractive and offensive teams in Europe was eagerly awaited, but the 75,000 spectators at San Siro were left wanting more.
No doubt because they feared each other, but also because they are not yet (or already no longer for Arsenal) at their maximum, Nerazzurri and Gunners engaged in a tactical duel, often dry and very disappointing.
The match, however, began with a golden opportunity for Inter: in the second minute, Denzel Dumfries shook the crossbar of David Raya’s goal, beaten.
The reigning Italian champions then dominated the first quarter of an hour, without worrying the Gunners goalkeeper.
Mikel Arteta’s team, which only pocketed one point in its last three league matches and fell to 5th place, ended up coming out of its reserve and the debates became balanced, without leading to the offensive festival hoped for.
It took until the 27th minute for Arsenal to score their first shot, but Bukayo Saka’s low attempt did not worry Yann Sommer.
A twist of fate finally made the difference between the two teams: in added time of the first period, on a free kick from Calhanoglu taken instantly by Mehdi Taremi, starting in place of Marcus Thuram, Mikel Merino was surprised and blocked the ball with his hand.
19 successful penalties out of 19 taken
Regular penalty taker at Inter, Calhanoglu wrong-footed Raya and scored his 19th penalty in as many attempts in the jersey of Inter, his club since 2021.
Back from the locker room, Arsenal were more pressing, particularly on set pieces.
In the 58th minute, from a corner from Saka, Gabriel took the ball at the far post, but Dumfries intervened on his line.
It was then Yann Bisseck who relieved Sommer and Inter in the 75th minute by deflecting Kaï Havertz’s rebound for a corner.
In the run-up to the clash against Naples, leader of the Italian Championship who is still ahead of him by one point, on Sunday, Simone Inzaghi rotated his squad, notably bringing in Thuram for the very discreet Lautaro Martinez.
But the French international was unable to stand out in a tense end to the match for the home fans, even if Arsenal did not really worry Sommer.
Even the entry into play in added time of its captain and playmaker Martin Odegaard, absent due to injury for two months, did not succeed in illuminating Arsenal.
The Gunners are in a bad situation: behind in the league, they can still aim for qualification, but remain stuck at seven points.
Everything is going well for Inter, however: the 2023 European vice-champions have still not conceded a goal in the Champions League and are heading towards the round of 16 with 10 points.
“It was a difficult match against a very strong team. Not necessarily a great match, but only the result counts,” rejoiced Calhanoglu speaking to Prime Video.
