Champions League

[monks data]

Champions League | Quarter-Finals | 1st Leg

Apr 11, 2023 at 8pm UK

Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica

Benfica
0 - 2
Inter Milan

(Inter Milan win 5-3 on aggregate)

Silva (22')

FT(HT: 0-0)

Barella (51'), Lukaku (82' pen.)
Brozovic (50'), Dzeko (83')

Champions League: Benfica vs. Inter Milan head-to-head record

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 10 April 2023

Ahead of Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg between Benfica and Inter Milan, Sports Mole looks at the head-to-head record between the two clubs.

An intriguing Champions League quarter-final commences at the Estadio da Luz on Tuesday night, as Benfica host Inter Milan in the first leg of their last-eight battle.

Roger Schmidt's side, who are also challenging for Primeira Liga glory, beat Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Maccabi Haifa to top spot in Group H before teaching Club Brugge a footballing lesson with a 7-1 aggregate thumping in the last 16.

Meanwhile, Inter came out second best in the heated battle between Bayern Munich and Barcelona for first place in Group C, setting up a tie with Group B winners Porto, and just the one goal separated the two sides across 180 minutes as the Nerazzurri advanced to the final eight.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the head-to-head record between Benfica and Inter ahead of Tuesday's tantalising showdown.

Inter Milan's Daniele Adani (L) and his team mate Javier Zanetti celebrate at the end of the UEFA Cup fourth round, second leg match against Benfica in April 2004 © Reuters

Despite both sides' calibre in European football, there have only ever been three competitive meetings between Inter and Benfica in all tournaments, and none since 2004.

From that trio of showdowns, an unbeaten Inter have two wins and a draw to show for their endeavours, starting with a 1-0 triumph in the pinnacle of the 1964-65 European Cup.

The Nerazzurri came up an Eagles side led by the indomitable Eusebio, but a solitary strike from Brazilian attacker Jair propelled Inter to their second successive continental crown.

Inter clinched European Cup glory in front of their own fans at San Siro in 1965, and 58 years later, the Nerazzurri are still the most recent team to win the continent's top honour at their home stadium.

Benfica's Joao Mario celebrates scoring their second goal on March 18, 2023 © Reuters

The 1965 final also represents the two sides' only meeting in the Champions League/European Cup to date, and not until the 2003-04 season would Inter and Benfica renew hostilities competitively.

Locking horns in the fourth round - equivalent to the last 16 - of the UEFA Cup, Benfica and Inter could not be separated in the first leg, playing out a drab 0-0 draw at the Estadio da Luz.

However, that was not a sign of things to come for the second leg, as the San Siro floodgates well and truly opened with a glut of goals - seven to be exact - as Inter prevailed 4-3 to progress to the quarter-finals.

Obafemi Martins and Nuno Gomes both struck braces on the day - alongside an effort for Christian Vieri - as Benfica failed to hang on to a 1-0 lead, but Inter's run came to a swift end in the quarter-finals at the hands of eventual finalists Marseille.

Interestingly, both sides have recent when it comes to seeing off opposition from their foes' nations - Benfica defeated Juventus twice in the groups while Inter eliminated Porto in the previous round - and the Nerazzurri's unbeaten streak versus the Eagles will come under serious threat on Tuesday night.