Is this the only way? Late penalty gives Liverpool golden victory over Inter

The match between Inter and Liverpool was rightly billed as one of the big clashes of this Champions League round. However, despite the goal, it didn’t live up to the hype. There were plenty of stoppages, fouls, and the ball mostly circulated around the opponent’s box until the late penalty. Szoboszlai was precise from the spot, and Arne Slot can breathe a little easier after these three points.

They played out a goalless first half, with chances at both ends but plenty of interruptions and near-misses.

The opening 10 minutes were largely uneventful. The main talking point early on was an injury to Hakan Calhanoglu, who was replaced by Piotr Zielinski.

The first real chance of the match came in the 18th minute, when Curtis Jones fired a shot, only for Jan Sommer to make a solid save. Just 20 seconds later, another opportunity fell to Liverpool, as Gravenberch struck in a similar manner, but Sommer was once again alert to stop the shot.

In the 29th minute, Ekitike found a promising position after driving down the right flank, but his ambitious effort was comfortably saved by Sommer.

Inter was forced into another early substitution in the first half. In the opening 30 minutes, Acerbi suffered an injury from a challenge and had to be replaced by Bisseck.

Liverpool thought they had taken the lead in the 32nd minute. After a corner, Van Dijk delivered the ball to Ibrahima Konate, who headed it into the net. However, VAR intervened to check whether Van Dijk or Ekitike had handled the ball in the build-up. The review showed that the ball had struck Ekitike’s arm after Van Dijk’s initial touch, and the goal was rightly disallowed.

Back on the attack, Inter had a good chance in the 40th minute. Nicolo Barella struck a free kick, but his shot went just wide of Alisson’s goal.

Just before halftime, substitute Zielinski tested the Liverpool goalkeeper again, but his shot went high over the bar in the 43rd minute.

The first truly clear-cut chance of the game came in 45+6 minutes. Inter played a brilliant move, and Lautaro Martinez connected well with a header, only for Alisson to produce an even better save and deny the striker.

The second half started with some promising moments for Inter. In the 49th minute, Lautaro Martinez delivered a superb ball down the line to Mkhitaryan, who had a small advantage over Konate. However, Mkhitaryan lacked the pace to get past his marker, and his final cross was poor, leaving Thuram expecting a better delivery.

Liverpool responded with opportunities of their own. In the 63rd minute, Ekitike tried a long-range shot from about 25 meters, but it was off target and Sommer made an easy save. Two minutes later, 65th minute, Thuram had a chance from a decent distance, but his effort also went wide of Alisson’s goal.

In the 69th minute, Gravenberch found himself on the edge of the box after a rebound, but the ball slipped past his foot and sailed over the bar.

Liverpool’s best chance of the half came in the 80th minute. Connor Bradley was almost alone at the edge of the six-yard box and struck at goal, but Sommer was well-positioned and made a key save to keep the score level.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the 87th minute. A clear penalty was awarded to Liverpool after VAR intervention. Bastoni had pulled Virgil van Dijk inside the box, initially ignored by the referee, but the video review confirmed the foul. Szloboszlai calmly converted from the spot, giving Liverpool a late 1–0 lead.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Matchday 6

Tuesday

Kairat Almaty - Olympiacos 0-1 (0-0)

/Martins 73/

Bayern Munich - Sporting Lisbon 3-1 (0-0)

/Gnabry 65, Karl 69, Tah 77 - Kimmich 54 (og)/

Atalanta - Chelsea 2-1 (0-1)

/Scamacca 55, De Ketelaere 83 - Pedro 25/

Barcelona - Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 (0-1)

/Kounde 50, 53 - Knauff 21/

Inter Milan - Liverpool 0-1 (0-0)

/Szoboszlai 88 pen/

Monaco - Galatasaray 1-0 (0-0)

/Balogun 68/

PSV Eindhoven - Atletico Madrid 2-3 (1-1)

/Til 10, Pepi 85 - Alvarez 37, Hancko 52, Sorloth 56/

St. Gilloise - Olympique Marseille 2-3 (1-2)

/Khalaili 5, 71 - Paixao 15, Greenwood 41, 58/

Tottenham - Slavia Prague 3-0 (1-0)

/Zima 26 og, Kudus 50 pen, Simons 79 pen/

Wednesday

20.45: (2.00) Qarabag (3.60) Ajax (4.00)

20.45: (1.45) Villarreal (4.50) Copenhagen (7.00)

23.00: (5.80) Athletic Bilbao (3.80) PSG (1.62)

23.00: (2.40) Benfica (3.40) Napoli (3.20)

23.00: (10.0) Club Brugge (5.20) Arsenal (1.37)

23.00: (1.28) Borussia Dortmund (6.00) Bodo/Glimt (9.50)

23.00: (1.18) Juventus (7.25) Pafos (15.0)

23.00: (3.10) Bayer Leverkusen (3.50) Newcastle (2.40)

23.00: (2.55) Real Madrid (3.85) Manchester City (2.65)

***odds are subject to change***