Catchetat
29-03-2006, 03:22 PM
- A wonderful goal from Dejan Stankovic confirmed Internazionale`s passage to the Champions League quarter-finals at the expense of battling Ajax.
The Serbia & Montenegro international`s second-half strike settled any Inter nerves after Adriano missed an early penalty.
MichaelSteele/GettyImages
Despite his best efforts Nourdin Boukhari can't hold on to Luis Figo.
For the first time since last season`s abandoned quarter-final second-leg against city rivals AC Milan, Inter were able to open the doors to their own fans for a European game.
And despite a 2-2 first-leg draw in Amsterdam three weeks ago, any suggestion of them sitting back on their away-goals advantage was quickly dispelled as they took control of the game early on.
The opening minutes saw Stankovic exchange passes with Adriano and only the bounce of the ball allowed Ajax to snuff out the danger.
It was looking like men against boys as Danny Blind`s young Ajax team struggled to deal with Inter`s physical superiority.
Twelve minutes in and a corner was cleared to Obafemi Martins 25 yards out and, despite having his back to goal, he managed to turn and fire a thunderous volley left-footed against the Ajax crossbar.
Adriano headed a corner over the bar as Inter`s stranglehold continued, while Luis Figo blazed a half-volley over following a swift counter.
Ajax weathered the early storm and began to establish a foothold in the game but no sooner had they started stroking the ball around then they conceded a penalty.
Stankovic sprinted to the byline and in trying to cut out his cross Olaf Lindenbergh handled and referee Peter Frojdfeldt showed no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
Adriano, Inter`s top scorer, stepped up to convert but scuffed the ball horribly wide of Maarten Stekelenburg`s left upright.
Inter did have the ball in the net minutes later through Martins but the whistle had already gone for offside.
Buoyed by their good fortune, Ajax continued to match their opponents, Mauro Rosales curling their first effort on target into the arms of Francesco Toldo.
But they needed some desperate point-blank blocks to stop Adriano putting Inter ahead before the break.
Inter began the second half even more quickly than the first, Figo testing Stekelenburg almost straight from kick-off.
Adriano continued to out-muscle the Ajax defence, shrugging off Thomas Vermaelen before crossing too high for Martins but the home side were guilty of trying to walk the ball in at times, allowing their opponents to clear.
Otherwise it was the visitors who looked to be in control of proceedings but even with 31-goal Klaas Jan Huntelaar in their ranks they lacked the cutting edge to complement their neat possession.
Indeed, that stark reality was brought crashing home as Stankovic put Inter ahead with a sublime goal.
A wonderful run down the left channel finished with the midfielder cutting inside and bending a brilliant right-foot shot into the far corner.
It was his second goal of the tie after starting the Inter fightback from 2-0 down in the first leg three weeks ago.
Adriano could have made it 2-0 but fired straight at Stekelenburg from just inside the box.
Ajax didn`t give up hope and the excellent Hatem Trabelsi`s barnstorming run might have set up a grandstand finish but he blazed his shot over.
Substitute Ryan Babel tested Toldo`s handling with a fizzing long-range drive late on and Adriano missed a stoppage-time sitter but Inter deserved to edge it and set up a last-eight clash with Villarreal in two weeks` time.
Source: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=192188&cc=4716
http://soccernet-att.espn.go.com/design05/images/sw/Luis-Figo;-Nourdin-Boukhari.jpg
The Serbia & Montenegro international`s second-half strike settled any Inter nerves after Adriano missed an early penalty.
MichaelSteele/GettyImages
Despite his best efforts Nourdin Boukhari can't hold on to Luis Figo.
For the first time since last season`s abandoned quarter-final second-leg against city rivals AC Milan, Inter were able to open the doors to their own fans for a European game.
And despite a 2-2 first-leg draw in Amsterdam three weeks ago, any suggestion of them sitting back on their away-goals advantage was quickly dispelled as they took control of the game early on.
The opening minutes saw Stankovic exchange passes with Adriano and only the bounce of the ball allowed Ajax to snuff out the danger.
It was looking like men against boys as Danny Blind`s young Ajax team struggled to deal with Inter`s physical superiority.
Twelve minutes in and a corner was cleared to Obafemi Martins 25 yards out and, despite having his back to goal, he managed to turn and fire a thunderous volley left-footed against the Ajax crossbar.
Adriano headed a corner over the bar as Inter`s stranglehold continued, while Luis Figo blazed a half-volley over following a swift counter.
Ajax weathered the early storm and began to establish a foothold in the game but no sooner had they started stroking the ball around then they conceded a penalty.
Stankovic sprinted to the byline and in trying to cut out his cross Olaf Lindenbergh handled and referee Peter Frojdfeldt showed no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
Adriano, Inter`s top scorer, stepped up to convert but scuffed the ball horribly wide of Maarten Stekelenburg`s left upright.
Inter did have the ball in the net minutes later through Martins but the whistle had already gone for offside.
Buoyed by their good fortune, Ajax continued to match their opponents, Mauro Rosales curling their first effort on target into the arms of Francesco Toldo.
But they needed some desperate point-blank blocks to stop Adriano putting Inter ahead before the break.
Inter began the second half even more quickly than the first, Figo testing Stekelenburg almost straight from kick-off.
Adriano continued to out-muscle the Ajax defence, shrugging off Thomas Vermaelen before crossing too high for Martins but the home side were guilty of trying to walk the ball in at times, allowing their opponents to clear.
Otherwise it was the visitors who looked to be in control of proceedings but even with 31-goal Klaas Jan Huntelaar in their ranks they lacked the cutting edge to complement their neat possession.
Indeed, that stark reality was brought crashing home as Stankovic put Inter ahead with a sublime goal.
A wonderful run down the left channel finished with the midfielder cutting inside and bending a brilliant right-foot shot into the far corner.
It was his second goal of the tie after starting the Inter fightback from 2-0 down in the first leg three weeks ago.
Adriano could have made it 2-0 but fired straight at Stekelenburg from just inside the box.
Ajax didn`t give up hope and the excellent Hatem Trabelsi`s barnstorming run might have set up a grandstand finish but he blazed his shot over.
Substitute Ryan Babel tested Toldo`s handling with a fizzing long-range drive late on and Adriano missed a stoppage-time sitter but Inter deserved to edge it and set up a last-eight clash with Villarreal in two weeks` time.
Source: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=192188&cc=4716
http://soccernet-att.espn.go.com/design05/images/sw/Luis-Figo;-Nourdin-Boukhari.jpg