Inter Claim Crucial Win Over Shakhtar Donetsk

Inter Milan claimed a vital 1-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk at San Siro, ending a difficult run in European competition and earning their first points in the Champions League league phase. Cristian Chivu’s side had to show resilience after being reduced to ten men for the final part of the match.

Inter started brightly, with threatening attacks from Marcus Thuram, Ange-Yoan Bonny and Hakan Çalhanoğlu, but Shakhtar's goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk was excellent and kept the hosts away from goal. The Ukrainian side grew into the contest before half-time, forcing Josep Martínez to make an important save.

The game changed in the 68th minute when the defender Alessandro Bastoni was sent off after receiving a second yellow card. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Inter found the breakthrough nine minutes later, when Carlos Augosto finished the ball into the net. Henrikh Mkhitaryan was the player that delivered the excellent pass to the brazilian after coming off the bench.

Shakhtar had found an equaliser through Newerton, but unfortunately the goal was ruled out for offside. Martínez then made crucial saves in the final minutes of the game to preserve Inter’s lead and secure all three valuable points.