Inter Milan secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash on Tuesday, thanks to a late goal from Marko Arnautovic.
The Austrian striker smashed in the only goal of the game at the San Siro with 11 minutes remaining, after Lautaro Martinez’s shot was parried by Jan Oblak.
The 34-year-old silenced his critics with his goal, which came after he wasted several chances to put Inter ahead.
His most glaring miss was just after the hour mark, when he skied a simple chance, a terrible finish that followed and preceded other unsuccessful efforts.
Arnautovic has struggled to impress since rejoining Inter on loan from Bologna last summer and his misses annoyed the fans.
But his goal gave Simone Inzaghi’s team a slim advantage to take to Madrid, where they will face Atletico in the crucial second leg on March 13.
Atletico have been more adventurous this season but reverted to their stubborn defensive style that has been typical of Diego Simeone’s long tenure in Spain.
But they could not stop Inter from scoring and now have to reverse Tuesday’s outcome to make it to the quarter-finals.
