Internazionale sink Borussia Dortmund after sensational Federico Dimarco free-kick
Inter Milan defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League with Federico Dimarco scoring a beautiful free-kick and Andy Diouf adding a late second, as both teams head to the knockout play-offs.
Borussia Dortmund 0-2 Internazionale
Goals: 1-0 Dimarco 81', 2-0 Diouf 90+4' (assist: Frattesi)
With both sides eyeing direct qualification for the Champions League Round of 16, Borussia Dortmund hosted Inter Milan in a crucial league phase matchday 8 encounter at Signal Iduna Park.
Dortmund came into the match in good form after a commanding 3-0 victory over Union Berlin in the Bundesliga, but were missing several key pplayers,including Marcel Sabitzer (calf injury), Niklas Süle (back problems) and Daniel Svensson (suspended).
Inter, currently sitting atop Serie A, arrived in Dortmund with a squad featuring several Bundesliga alumni, including former BVB defenders Manuel Akanji and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Evenly matched first half
The visitors enjoyed the better start with composed early possession, but Dortmund quickly grew into the match. The home side created the best chance of the first half when a corner found Serhou Guirassy unmarked in the six-yard box in the 11th minute, but the striker failed to generate power on his shot, allowing Yann Sommer to collect with ease.
Both teams traded efforts, with Federico Dimarco forcing a save from Gregor Kobel in the 14th minute, while Fabio Silva headed narrowly wide from a Julian Ryerson cross shortly before half-time. The match remained goalless at the interval, with neither side able to find the clinical edge in attack.
Substitutions and chances
Dortmund began the second half with renewed purpose as Jobe Bellingham saw a long-range effort blocked within minutes of the restart. The intensity increased when Akanji received a yellow card for a late tackle on Ramy Bensebaini in the 56th minute, followed by Inter making the first change with Pio Esposito replacing Ange-Yoan Bonny.
A crucial moment arrived in the 64th minute when Bensebaini made an exceptional last-ditch tackle to deny Esposito who appeared to be clean through on goal. Dortmund responded with Karim Adeyemi replacing Guirassy, and the substitute nearly made an immediate impact, but Sommer was quick off his line to smother his effort.
Inter's clinical finishing
The match-defining moment came in the 81st minute when Henrikh Mkhitaryan won a free-kick on the edge of the Dortmund box. Dimarco stepped up and curled a sublime left-footed effort over the wall and into the top corner, leaving Kobel with no chance.
Dortmund immediately responded with a double change as Julian Brandt and Carney Chukwuemeka entered the fray, but their efforts to equalise were thwarted by Inter's resilient defending. Adeyemi appealed for a penalty after being caught in the face by an opponent's knee, but the officials waved play on.
With Dortmund committing men forward, Inter sealed the victory in the fourth minute of stoppage time when Andy Diouf, who had only been on the pitch for a few minutes, capitalised on an Adeyemi error before coolly slotting past Kobel to make it 2-0.
Player of the Match: Federico Dimarco
The Inter wingback was a constant threat throughout the evening, troubling the Dortmund defence with his crossing and direct running. He registered the most shots (3) for the away side and was ultimately the difference-maker with his sensational free-kick. The 28-year-old Italian displayed exceptional technique to curl the ball beyond Kobel's reach, breaking the deadlock in what had been a finely balanced contest.
His defensive work was equally impressive, making several key interventions including a crucial challenge on Beier to maintain Inter's foothold in the match. Dimarco's all-round performance embodied Inter's clinical edge that ultimately separated the two teams.
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