Feyenoord 0-2 Inter Milan Player Ratings: Inter’s strike pair gun down Feyenoord as the visitors take a healthy lead in the tie

Inter Milan beat Feyenoord 2-0 at Stadion Feijenoord in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash thanks to their strike pair. After a brave start from the hosts, Inter took the lead in the game courtesy of an improvised finish from Marcus Thuram. Lautauro Martinez scored shortly after the break to double Inter’s lead. Piotr Zielinski missed a penalty to leave the door open for an unlikely comeback from Feyenoord if the Dutch side can break Inter’s stern defence in a week.

Hosts Feyenoord put up an inspirational performance in the play-off round to see off AC Milan. They were rewarded with yet another tie against a Milan side in Inter Milan. Robin van Persie made his Champions League debut on the night as a manager and named a fairly strong Feyenoord lineup with the heroes from the previous tie coming into the lineup.

Inter Milan played an exhausting title decider against Napoli in the league and travelled to the Netherlands in the hope of getting things done quickly. Simone Inzaghi claimed his side had an injury crisis as they missed a string of first-team defenders. Most notably, Federico Dimarco who scored on the weekend against Napoli is sidelined for the fixture. He made radical changes in midfield by dropping Hakan Calhanogly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

The hosts made the first move of the game as Ibrahim Osman drifted into the box and forced a fine save from Josep Martinez at his near post. Both sides then enjoyed going end to end as we were set for a cracker of a game. The De Kuip crowd made it as hostile as possible for Inter Milan as Feyenoord played some positive football. But it was not easy for them to break down a defence that has only conceded once in the league stage.

Inter Milan’s best chance of the half fell to Francesco Acerbi. The defender received a cross in the box and hit a left-footed volley that was easily saved by the goalkeeper. There were no such misses in the 38th minute as Marcus Thuram readjusted himself excellently to guide a Nicolo Barella cross home. The goal broke Feyenoord’s spirit as their good performance counter for nothing.

However, the home fans weren’t easily silenced as Feyenoord kept trying. Robin van Persie’s men had to play one of their best second halves ever to have a chance of making it into the next round.

Inter Milan made their European royalty count early in the second half as Piotr Zielinski fed Lautauro Martinez in the box in the 50th minute. The Argentine hitman took a touch and blasted it past the keeper to double the Nerazzurri’s advantage. Ibrahim Osman sat Benjamin Pavard down and squared for Jakub Moder who could only poke it just above the crossbar.

The visitors had the chance to seal the tie when Jeyland Mitchell conceded a penalty after catching Thuram in the box. However, Zielinski stepped up and sent it to Wellenreuther’s right. The German custodian at full stretch palmed it away and kept his side in the tie. Moments later, Feyenoord’s substitute Ayase Ueda thought he won a penalty as he was tripped by Stefan de Vrij.

Feyenoord skipper David Hancko missed a free header in the 80th minute from a corner. The home team weren’t giving up as they kept on attacking Inter in vain till the full-time whistle.

Inter Milan will fly back to Italy knowing that the job is all but done. A commanding performance from the forward line will give them some breathing space in the second leg. They host Monza at San Siro on the weekend as they look to defend their Serie A crown.

Feyenoord are hard-beaten and will look to plan another heist at San Siro. The task ahead is to score twice against a team that has conceded only once in the entire tournament and keep them goalless. No pressure at all. They have no fixture domestically and will devote the entire week to preparing for the second leg at San Siro.

Feyenoord Player Ratings

GK – Timon Wellenreuther – 7.5/10

Had heart in his mouth when the ball fell for Acerbi but he only had to make an easy save. Read Zielinski’s penalty perfectly and made a great save.

RB – Jeyland Mitchell – 5/10

Punted a dangerous delivery from Dumfries into the crowds. Failed to get going in the attack as much as he would’ve liked to. Conceded a tame penalty after a poor challenge and got into the book.

CB – Thomas Beelen – 6/10

Kept up with Martinez to shield the ball out when played over the top. Not afraid to take the risks with the ball.

CB – David Hancko – 6/10

The skipper marshalled the defence expertly and put in crucial blocks when needed. Missed a free header as it could’ve halved the deficit in the tie.

LB – Hugo Bueno – 6 /10

Made some good runs on the left to provide an option for Osman. Delivered plenty of crosses into the middle as well.

DM – Jakub Moder – 7/10

Played some lovely long balls forward trying to break Inter’s defence. Had a pop at goal that was well saved by Martinez.

DM – Gjis Smal – 6/10

Smal was the deepest in midfield and picked possession from his backline to spread it forward. He was tidy with his tackling too.

RW – Anis Hadj Moussa – 6/10

Gave the ball away initially but started teasing the opposition defenders with his footwork.

CAM – Igor Paixao – 6/10

Had the keys to the central areas but struggled to create a meaningful chance.

LW – Ibrahim Osman – 7/10

Carried the ball and tested Martinez early in the game. Created an excellent chance for Moder but the Pole couldn’t hit the target. Made a poor challenge to get booked and missed the next game as a result.

ST – Julian Carranza – 6/10

Dropped deep and put in tackles to win the ball and drive his side up. Was constantly battling Bastoni. Replaced by Ueda on the hour mark.

Sub – Ayase Ueda- 6/10

Manager – Robin van Persie – 7/10

An excellent debut on the big stages as he showed he wasn’t afraid to go toe to toe with some of Europe’s elite. However, the teething inconsistencies are found in his game plan but he will improve with time.

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Inter Milan Player Ratings

GK – Josep Martinez – 6/10

Alert at his near post to prevent an early goal. Got away with a huge mistake as he kicked the ball straight into Moussa.

CB – Benjamin Pavard – 6/10

Had to be very careful in the box Osman was twisting and turning for fun. It got easier for him in the second half as he defended with ease.

CB – Stefan de Vrij – 6.5/10

Conceded a silly corner as Carranza was piling pressure on him. Recovered well to put his stamp on the opposition forwards and win duels.

CB – Francesco Acerbi – 6.5/10

Got into his fair share of troubles with Carranza as he had a potential injury during the early stages. He rammed into the box and had a tame effort saved.

RWB – Denzel Dumfries – 7/10

Sent in a dangerous cross early on and set the tempo. Was having a torrid time with Osman. A constant menace going forward.

CM – Nicolo Barella – 7.5/10

Played the role of tempo controller and created chances from deep for his side. Flexed the ball carrier in him a lot of times. An excellent first-time cross to put it on a platter for Thuram.

CM – Kristjan Asllani- 7/10

Played a lovely ball over the top and Martinez was almost in. Took a great freekick that almost doubled Inter’s lead.

CM – Piotr Zielinski – 7/10

Tried to crash the box to occupy the defensive midfielder of Feyenoord. Had a shot blocked from the edge of the box but it fell for him kindly as he teed up Martinez for the second goal. Missed a penalty and it could be very costly if Feyenoord does have a comeback.

LWB – Alessandro Bastoni – 7/10

Involved in a lot of ball carrying as he played on the left. Was a target of Feyenoord’s press. Made a lovely run in the build-up to Inter’s second.

ST – Marcus Thuram – 8/10

Had a couple of chances to run at Feyenoord’s defence but couldn’t produce the killer pass. An improvised finish to give Inter the lead. Won a penalty before he was substituted.

ST – Lautaro Martinez – 7/10

Fired a curler that was well tipped away by Feyenoord’s custodian. He got his goal early in the second half after blasting the ball into the roof of the net.

Sub – Mehdi Taremi- 6/10

Sub – Yann Bisseck – 6/10

Sub – Davide Frattesi- 6/10

Sub – Hakan Calhanoglu- 7/10

Sub – Marko Arnautovic – 7/10

Manager – Simone Inzaghi – 7/10

Took a risk by dropping two of his most senior midfielders. Despite his claims of an injury crisis, the defenders at his disposal did more than a job in keeping Feyenoord at bay.

Sportsdunia’s Payer of the Match goes to Marcus Thuram.

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