Inter are on the verge of playing in the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in a decade after defeating Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 at home at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

The Nerazzurri created a plethora of chances and should have been up at halftime by at least two goals but it wasn’t to be until the second half when an Edin Dzeko brace secured all three points.

Samir Handanovic – 5.5: Never gave the air of confidence, experience, or calmness in the first half. Made simple errors with and without the ball throughout the 90 mins.

Milan Skriniar – 6,5: Skriniar didn’t have a lot of defensive problems to solve in the first half. In a galaxy far, far away there is a planet where he can’t play in a 3-5-2.

Andrea Ranocchia – 6: Fernando gave him a lot of problems especially with pace the few times Shakhtar counter attacked. Much more settled in the second half. Reliable.

Alessandro Bastoni – 6: Most of Shakhtar’s pacy attacks came down Inter’s left flank and Bastoni always just did enough. Did very well with the ball at his feet throughout.

Matteo Darmian – 6.5: After the highs of the Napoli game, Matteo looked a little slower to his opponents tonight but still managed to carve out a few chances. Unlucky.

Nicolo Barella – 6: Nicolo did not look as tired as he has done in the past and his pressing resulted in a lot of chances. Fluffed his lines when a chance opened up.

Marcelo Brozovic – 6.5: De Zerbi’s men started very well in limiting the time and space Brozo got. Eventually he got the remote control of the midfield and didn’t let it go.

Hakan Calhanoglu – 6.5: Hakan had to make a few defensive tackles and a lot of chasing back but his touch was good and resulted in a lot of dangerous forward forays. Class

Ivan Perisic – 7: Unlucky as Darmian’s heel denied him another crucial goal in a big match. Dodo troubled him a bit, but Ivan has a confident air about him these days.

Edin Dzeko – 7.5: Edin missed a lot of easy chances in the first half, and it looked like one of those nights again. But when the moment came, he delivered a crucial win.

Lautaro Martinez – 6.5: Just like Dzeko he missed simple chances in the first half, but his general play was not lacking. Unlucky to have a goal cancelled out. Gave it his 100%

Joaquin Correa – 5.5: Correa still does not look at his confident best. Made a couple of runs but nothing else. Needs to improve his off the ball play. Something for Simone.

Arturo Vidal – 5.5: Before the international break, Arturo looked like a breath of fresh air off the bench. That red card he got for Chile is like a big burden on his shoulders.

Danilo D’Ambrosio – 6: Nice to see Simone trusting and believing in D’Ambrosio to do a job as a wingback as well. Quality utility player and good influence in the dressing room.

Federico Dimarco – N/A: With Ivan playing the way he is nowadays Federico will have to bide his time on the bench. Came on in the last 5 minutes as Perisic had run out of gas.

Stefano Sensi – N/A: Another nice moment to see Sensi finally come on and not feel like he would get injured again. Almost scored at the end. Important option in the squad.

Simone Inzaghi – N/A: After the first half where the plan worked most of the time, he calmed the team down and it showed. Suddenly everything looked calm and collected.

Ovidiu Haţegan – 7: Kept calm and probably the only mistake he made was to disallow Lautaro’s goal for a very soft foul. Used VAR perfectly and directed the game well.

Inter – 7.5: Inter might finally have got past the group stage for the first time in a decade. Great performance especially in the second half. Onwards and upwards.

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