Bayern vs Inter Milan’s Most Thrilling Encounters

 

Bayern vs Inter Milan is one of the most anticipated matches in UCL quarterfinals, with some thrilling encounters in history.

Bayern Munich and Inter Milan are set to square off on April 9 for the first leg in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League quarterfinal. Die Roten will play host first in Allianz Arena, which happens to be the venue for the final.

Vincent Kompany’s side are undoubtedly hoping they could go through and find redemption in the 2012 final edition, in which they humiliatingly lost to Chelsea on penalties. Lifting the Big Ear trophy at home turf seems ideal, and a win over Nerrazurri would be the first step to such a target.

Unfortunately, none is easy when it comes to the opponent in the further knockout stage. Inter Milan pose their own threat which could jeopardise Harry Kane and Co’s chance for UCL glory. Throughout history, both sides have met nine times, with five wins and one drawfor the Bundesliga giant. However, their three defeats were more devastating, as one of them was the UCL final.

Both sides faced off in the 2010 final edition in Santiago Bernabeu. Jose Mourinho’s Inter eventually came out as a winner following their 2-0 victory over Louis Van Gaal’s Bayern. Diego Milito’s brace gave Nerazzurri the long-awaited major continental trophy since 1965. They even won the treble in that season.

Nevertheless, that clash in the summit was not exactly the most thrilling encounter between them. Here are those which, in coincidence, took place in the very same round, the round of 16.

Inter Milan vs Bayern Munich (the 2nd leg in the 1988/89 UEFA Cup round of 16)

Both teams met in the second leg with the great advantage for the home side. Inter Milan had secured a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture on German soil. No wonder that Giovanni Trappatoni’s men were more confident to go through. They utilised a 5-4-1 formation with Lothar Matthaus as the key man in the second line to initiate the attacking build-up supported by Nicola Berti. On the other side, Munich deployed a 4-4-2 flat formation.

At first, things seemed to be starting off well, with Matthaus himself attempting to find the opener. However, in the 33rd minute, they conceded through Roland Wohlfarth’s tap in front of the goal. He was able to optimise Walter Zenga’s error as he tried to deny the header following the corner kick. Five minutes later, La Beniamata’s defence was stunned with Die Roten’s second goal. The skipper Klaus Augenthaler headed home, taking advantage of Hans Pflugler. It was level already on the aggregate.

Yet, Bayern did not stop there. Their quick counterattack resulted in the third goal from Jurgen Wegmann. His shot in the six-yard box could not be denied or cleared by Zenga. The home side had to wait till a few seconds before the interval to reduce the deficit. It was Aldo Serena who bagged a lifeline.

The second half was literally dominated by Nerazzurri. They piled the attack on the German’s defence line. Bayern’s goalie, Raimond Aumann, was the hero as he managed to deny a number of crucial shots on target. Juup Heynckes’ side held on till the final whistle. It was Bayern who advanced to the UEFA Cup quarterfinals with a 3-3 aggregate with an away goal advantage.

Approximate stats	Inter vs Bayern
Shots on goal	10	4
Shots off target	3	1
Saves	1	9
Blocks	3	3

Bayern Munich vs Inter Milan (the 2^nd leg in 2010/11 UCL round of 16)

In 2011, both sides squared off again in the same stage but in the higher competition, the Champions League. However, this time, the result was the other way around. It was also the repeat of the final in the previous edition.

Bayern had already snatched a 1-0 win in Milan. Inter were the reigning champions but under the new boss, Leonardo, while Bayern were still led by Louis Van Gaal. Both teams deployed the similar formation, 4-2-3-1.

Inter quickly scored an opener through Samuel Eto’o in the fourth minute. Yet, Bayern restored the advantage with Mario Gomez’s goal. He netted the overhead goal following Julio Cesar’s error in the 21st minute. Ten minutes later, Thomas Muller scored to put the Bavarian in the lead. They kept knocking on the door to Inter’s backline but failed to double their lead.

After the interval, they carried on piling up pressure on the Italian champions. Unfortunately, it was Inter who managed to find the equaliser. Wesley Sneijder’s long-range shot found the back of the net in the 63rd minute. Finally, in the 88th minute, Goran Pandev netted the third goal and saw off Die Roten with the away goal rule. It was 3-2 for Nerrazzurri.

	Bayern vs Inter
Shots on goal	8	3
Shots off target	3	7
Saves	-	6
Blocks	6	5