Inter Milan clinched a vital 1-0 win against Sparta Prague in a tense Champions League encounter, effectively securing their place in the Round of 16.
The game’s decisive moment came from captain Lautaro Martinez, who scored a spectacular volley that proved to be the winning goal. The well-worked team move involved Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alessandro Bastoni creating the opportunity, with Martinez finishing from an incredibly tight angle.
Coach Simone Inzaghi made strategic selections, starting Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez in attack. The team was missing several key players including Hakan Calhanoglu, Francesco Acerbi, and Yann Bisseck due to injuries.
The game saw several notable moments, including Denzel Dumfries receiving an early yellow card in controversial circumstances. Yann Sommer made crucial saves, particularly against Veljko Birmancevic, and a Dumfries goal was disallowed after a lengthy VAR review.
With this victory, Inter moved closer to automatic qualification for the Champions League knockout stages. They now need just four points from their final two matches to secure a top-eight finish.
Goals: Lautaro Martinez 12 (I)
Sparta Prague (3-4-1-2): Vindahl, Vitik, Panak, Sorensen; Wiesner (79′ Suchomel), Sadilek, Karinen, Rynes (69′ Zeleny); Laci; Olatunji (79′ Krasniqi), Birmancevic (74′ Haraslin)
Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries (63′ Darmian), Barella (63′ Frattesi), Asllani (71′ Zielinski), Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (71′ Carlos Augusto); Lautaro (82′ Taremi), Thuram.
