Bayer Leverkusen secured a dramatic late victory over Inter Milan, winning 1-0 at the BayArena on Tuesday evening in the sixth round of the Champions League.
Nordi Mukiele netted the match’s only goal in the 90th minute, securing three crucial points for Bayer Leverkusen.
With this win, Leverkusen climbed to second place in the standings with 13 points, while Inter Milan remained on 13 points but dropped to fourth place.
Leverkusen started strongly and came close to opening the scoring with their first major chance. Tela fired a shot from inside the box, but the crossbar denied the Germans an early lead.
In the 10th minute, Grimaldo unleashed a powerful effort from the edge of the area, only to be denied by a brilliant save from Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Inter quickly responded with a chance of their own, as Mehdi Taremi took a shot from inside the box. However, defender Tapsoba stepped in to block it with a crucial intervention.
Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka tried his luck from a distance, launching a surprise shot that Sommer had to stop in two attempts.
Darmian had an opportunity for Inter shortly after, shooting wide of the post following a headed pass from Thuram. However, the referee ultimately flagged him offside.
The hosts continued their attacking momentum, with Palacios firing a thunderous strike in the 26th minute that flew just over the crossbar and out for a corner.
Leverkusen kept the pressure on, and Sommer once again proved vital for Inter, making a stunning save to deny a certain goal from Wirtz.
In the second half, Fritz found Frimpong deep in Inter’s defensive third. Frimpong outpaced Bastoni, the Italian defender, before firing a shot from a tight angle that narrowly missed the post.
In the 65th minute, Jonathan Tah attempted a long-range strike, but his effort veered wide of the left post.
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi responded by making several substitutions, introducing Dimarco, Asllani, Barella, and Lautaro in place of Augusto, Fratzi, Çalhanoğlu, and Thuram. The changes aimed to inject fresh energy and wrest control back from Leverkusen.
Wirtz continued to test Inter’s defence, but De Vrij blocked his initial attempt and cleared the danger. The ball returned to Wirtz, who tried again, only for Sommer to make another confident save.
Wirtz launched another effort in the 84th minute, but it once again landed safely in Sommer’s hands.
Leverkusen delivered the decisive blow in the 90th minute. Mukiele capitalized on a series of defensive mistakes and Inter’s failure to clear the ball from their six-yard box, scoring the winning goal and sealing a dramatic late victory for the German side.
