Two goals in the final quarter of the Champions League round of 16 match between Liverpool and Inter Milan have given the English side a strong advantage in the tie. Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino scored within eight minutes of each other after 75 minutes of goalless action at the San Siro stadium in Milan.
Inter were playing in the Champions League final 16 for the first time in 10 years. And though they troubled the Liverpool defence and attacked with purpose, Jurgen Klopp’s men were more clinical and that has helped his side inch closer to the quarterfinals.
Against an ageing Inter side, Liverpool demonstrated the depth in its squad. A triple substitution turned the tide heavily in favour of the visiting side. Even Roberto Firmino, who came off the bench before the trio of Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Luis Diaz, proved his worth, grabbing the first goal of the game in the 75th minute with a glancing header off an Andy Robertson corner.
Salah then wrapped up the game with a close-range deflected shot from a scramble in the box. Centre-back Virgil van Dijk was awarded the man of the match for his strong defensive performance.
Inter Milan will find it difficult to pull its way back into this tie with a daunting trip to Anfield standing in its way.
In the other game of the night, Bayern Munich were held by Austrian side RB Salzburg after an uncharacteristic performance by the serial German champions. Salzburg opened the scoring in the 21st minute and it wasn’t until the final minute of the game that Bayern pulled a goal back through Kingsley Coman to avoid a humiliating defeat.
The second legs of these two matches will be played on March 9. The team with the higher aggregate score proceeds to the quarterfinals. Moreover, this year, UEFA has scrapped the away-goals rule for the knockout stages.
