Inter Milan will be 'huge underdogs' in Champions League final after beating AC Milan - Rio Ferdinand
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Published 16/05/2023 at 21:51 GMT
Inter Milan will be underdogs in the UEFA Champions League final after defeating an "overachieving" AC Milan in the semi-finals, says Rio Ferdinand. The former defender, however, commended their remarkable performance, highlighting their experience, tactical prowess, and solid squad. Fellow BT Sport panellists Steven Gerrard and Michael Own also shared insights on Simone Inzaghi's side.
Lautaro Martinez of FC Internazionale celebrates after winning the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg match between FC Internazionale v AC Milan at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 16, 2023 in Milan, Italy.
Image credit: Getty Images
Inter Milan will be "huge underdogs" in the UEFA Champions League final after beating an AC Milan team that have "overachieved" in the competition, claims former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand.
The Italian side won 1-0 in their second leg semi-final match against city rivals AC Milan, with a score of 3-0 on aggregate. They will face either Manchester City or Real Madrid in the final of the competition, which they last won in 2010 under Jose Mourinho.
"No disrespect to Inter Milan, but they'll go into that final against either of the two teams playing tomorrow night as underdogs, huge underdogs," said Ferdinand after the final whistle as a part of the BT Sport panel.
"But they have experience. They have good temperament in these games. They have players that have played in some big games in their careers, and they have a really, really solid squad there.
"I think tactically, the way they set up with the three centre-backs, they defend really well. They know how to defend. They have a solid team, with players that can come off the bench," he added.
"But again, I don't want to disrespect AC Milan too much, but if you've seen them in the group stages, there is no way you would have said that they would get to this stage of the competition.
"I think they've overachieved even getting to this point, and you see where they are in the league in Italy at the moment. So, they have done well to get here, but Inter Milan more than deserved to go through over the two legs."
AC Milan are currently fifth in Serie A, and Inter Milan are in third. They extended their aggregate score in the second leg of the semi-final through a Lautaro Martinez goal in the 74th minute.
"[Inter Milan] were the better team over both legs. I thought they were organised, professional. They just soaked it up tonight," said Steven Gerrard.
"They carried the threat on the break when they regained the ball. They are tough to beat. They defend the box extremely well. They've got experience. They carry a threat in the forward areas.
"So listen, whoever they face in the final, of course, they've got a shout."
AC Milan were chasing the tie throughout the 90 minutes and were "disappointing", all things considered, given that they did not have a shot on target in the second half, according to fellow panellist Michael Owen.
"They were outplayed throughout the tie. No question at all who deserved to go through over the two [legs]," he said.
"It was resounding that at 3-0, AC Milan didn't even look like scoring in the second half.
"They had a good half-hour around the start of the game, and you think to yourself, 'If they can score here, then it might be game on', but for the last hour, it was total control [from Inter]."
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