Inter Milan take Champions League opener 2-1 in dramatic fashion

After the 53^rd minute, Inter Milan faithful were on the edge of their seats.

It was that point where Christian Eriksen put an awkward ball past Samir Handanovic giving Tottenham Hotspur a 1-0 lead in both teams’ Champions League Group B opener Tuesday at the San Siro.

But, Mauro Icardi leveled the terms in the 85^th minute with a blast from just outside the penalty area thanks to a ball from Kwadwo Asamoah. It was Icardi’s Champions League debut.

Finally, in stoppage time, Stefan De Vrij headed a corner right to Matias Vecino who put the ball in the top left corner of the goal to give Inter a 2-1 win and three points in the group.

It is the third consecutive loss for Tottenham and Inter’s first win over the London club since a 4-1 thrashing in 2013 during the UEFA Europa League competition.

Tottenham seemed to press its attack more convincingly in the second half after neither team was able to generate much in the way of offense in the first.

It finally paid off when an odd bouncing of the ball left Eriksen with a shot right past Handanovic.

It left Luciano Spalletti trying to figure out what the Nerazzurri needed to do to get back into the match.

Handanovic kept Inter in the match in the second half with several saves as Tottenham continued to press and take advantage of Inter’s lack of attack.

In the first half, neither team managed much in the way of attack, but it was Inter who had six shots with one on target compared to just three shots total for Tottenham.

Through it all, however, Inter was able to keep Tottenham striker Harry Kane at bay, giving him limited chances to make plays.

Internazionale will get back to Serie A action on Sept. 25 when they will take on Sampdoria. Their next Champions League match will be on Oct. 3 against PSV Eindhoven — who lost 4-0 to Barcelona thanks to a hat trick by Lionel Messi. Inter and Barcelona sit atop Group B on three points while Tottenham and PSV both have zero.

What do you think? Post your comments below!

Gallery

Grid View

• Matias Vecino of Inter Milan celebrates his team’s victory at full-time of the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between FC Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur at San Siro Stadium on September 18, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
• Samir Handanovic of Inter Milan celebrates his team’s victory at full-time of the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between FC Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur at San Siro Stadium on September 18, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
• Matias Vecino of FC Internazionale celebrates his goal during the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between FC Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur at San Siro Stadium on September 18, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images
• Mauro Emanuel Icardi (L) of FC Internazionale celebrates his goal with his team-mate Radja Nainggolan during the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between FC Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur at San Siro Stadium on September 18, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images
• FC Internazionale coach Luciano Spalletti looks on during the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between FC Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur at San Siro Stadium on September 18, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images
• Serge Aurier (L) of Tottenham Hotspur competes for the ball with Ivan Perisic of FC Internazionale during the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between FC Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur at San Siro Stadium on September 18, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images
• Milan Skriniar of Inter Milan battles for possession with Heung-Min Son of Tottenham Hotspur during the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between FC Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur at San Siro Stadium on September 18, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
• Ben Davies of Tottenham Hotspur battles for possession with Matteo Politano of Inter Milan during the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between FC Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur at San Siro Stadium on September 18, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
• Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between FC Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur at San Siro Stadium on September 18, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
• Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur shoots from a free kick during the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between FC Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur at San Siro Stadium on September 18, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
• Erik Lamela of Tottenham Hotspur is tackled by Matias Vecino of Inter Milan during the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between FC Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur at San Siro Stadium on September 18, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images