Zanetti can´t explain ´black-out´

6 April 2011 00:31

Inter captain Javier Zanetti has struggled to explain his side's Champions League implosion against quarter-final opponents Schalke.

Despite leading on two separate occasions during the tie, the reigning champions now have a mammoth task on their hands for the return leg in Germany after losing the first leg 5-2.

"I cannot understand what happened," Zanetti told Mediaset Premium. "I can't even explain it to myself, let alone to you."

Serbian midfielder Dejan Stankovic opened the scoring for Inter with an audacious volley from halfway following a rushed clearance from Manuel Neuer.

But the Serie A outfit conceded three goals after going into the break 2-2.

"We had a good start, then there was a black-out. Now we have to stay calm, look ahead and begin again by thinking positive," Zanetti said.

"We've got to keep going, think of Serie A and then we'll go to Germany to give it all we've got."

Champions League: Inter Milan 2 Schalke 5

5 April 2011 23:07

Bundesliga outfit Schalke hammered Inter Milan 5-2 at the San Siro in the first-leg of their UEFA Champions League tie.

The Serie A giants twice took first-half leads but were outclassed by a rampant Schalke side in the second period.

Brazilian striker Edu scored a brace for the visitors while Inter played out the last half an hour with 10 men after Cristian Chivu was sent off.

It was the first time any defending European champion had conceded five goals either home or away.

Inter made a dream start when Dejan Stankovic struck in stunning fashion inside the first minute.

A long ball from Esteban Cambiasso dragged Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer off his line and the shot-stopper momentarily cleared the danger with a diving header.

But Stankovic, with the speed of thought and remarkable execution, volleyed into the empty net from just inside his own attacking half.

Wesley Sneijder had a half chance to double the lead in the eighth minute but he could only head over after Milito used some fancy footwork to free himself down the left.

And the Bundesliga outfit was on level terms after a quarter of an hour thanks to Joel Matip.

Inter failed to clear their lines from a corner and Matip scrambled home the equaliser after Kyriakos Papadopoulos had his header blocked.

Milito then had a penalty shout turned down and Samuel Eto'o had a goal correctly disallowed for offside in quick succession.

But Milito would get the goal to put the Italian giants back in front in the 34th minute.

Sneijder chipped a pass into Cambiasso, who headed back across goal for the unmarked Milito to easily tap in.

Their lead lasted only six minutes however as Schalke opened up the Inter defence to restore parity before the interval.

Edu was played behind but his initial shot was blocked by Andrea Ranocchia and then palmed away by Julio Cesar, but the Brazilian striker followed up to squeeze home at the second attempt.

Inter should have been ahead a minute into the second half when Cambiasso played another pinpoint pass through to Milito.

But despite taking an excellent first touch, the striker put his shot wide in a one-on-one with Neuer.

Instead, it was the visitors who went ahead courtesy of a goal from Raul.

Jefferson Farfan, who will miss the second-leg through suspension, fed the Spaniard through and he made no mistake in beating Cesar.

It was all the visitors from that point on as another swift move led to Jurado cutting a ball across the area, only for Ranocchia to turn the ball into his own net.

Cristian Chivu was given his marching orders in the 62nd minute before Edu completed his brace and the rout with a cracking left-foot strike from outside the area 15 minutes before the end.

Leonardo wary of Schalke threat

4 April 2011 22:45

Inter Milan coach Leonardo believes Schalke's indifferent league form will count for little when the teams meet in the Champions League.

Schalke are 11th in the Bundesliga table and have struggled for consistency this season.

But despite their problems in the German top flight, they have reached the final of the DFB Cup at the expense of holders Bayern Munich, while also accounting for Valencia in the Champions League first knockout round.

And Leonardo will not be taking the visitors lightly in Tuesday's quarter-final first leg at the San Siro, particularly with the European Cup's all-time leading scorer among their ranks.

"I know Schalke haven't had many good results in the league, but they have in the Champions League so we must not underestimate them - they did not reach the quarter-finals by being lucky," Leonardo said.

"Even without several injured players they have done well, finding a good balance on the pitch, as they have shown in the German Cup. They're having a good spell and morale is high."

"Raul Gonzalez is symbolic of their good European campaign, he's always a threat. He's one of the all-time greats - he chose to leave Madrid for another country and is still dictating things."

Inter come into the match on the back of a damaging 3-0 defeat against Serie A leaders and local rivals AC Milan on Saturday.

Rather than dwell on a loss that may have cost his team the Scudetto, Leonardo would prefer to draw on the experience of Inter's come-from-behind 3-2 victory away to Bayern Munich in the Champions League's Round of 16.

"The way we qualified has brought confidence, proving that we never give up," he said, referring to the fightback at the Allianz Arena on March 15.

"That's what we want to keep doing - it doesn't matter if we lost the derby on Saturday. I respect the criticism I have had since then but the first-minute goal made life complicated."

"We're obviously disappointed, but I'm sure my players will react and, yes, I've never won a Champions League game at home (as coach) but I'm not dwelling on it."

Rangnick wary of Inter backlash

4 April 2011 19:10

Schalke coach Ralf Rangnick said he fears an Inter Milan backlash in the first leg of their Champions League quarter final.

The European Champions were soundly beaten in the Milan derby at the weekend, leaving their Serie A title hopes in tatters.

And Rangnick is concerned Inter may take out their frustrations on his visiting Schalke outfit in Tuesday's first-leg match.

"I can imagine they are under pressure, because it is always a big blow for them to lose a derby against Milan," Rangnick said. "We, on the other hand, have nothing to lose."

"We are playing the defending champions, and we are the favourites to go out. However we are very much looking forward to this game and we will try to give our best."

"It would be presumptuous to expect a 3-0 win tomorrow. That said, we want to get a good result, and to get that we have to do what we have shown we can do against St Pauli, except much better."

Schalke were dealt a blow in the lead up to the match with both Peer Kluge and Mario Gavranovic ruled out due to injury.

However, Christoph Metzelder is still a chance to line up at the San Siro on Tuesday despite breaking his nose against St Pauli at the weekend.

"Metze has every chance of playing, despite the broken nose," said Rangnick, who is also considering Kyriakos Papadopoulos for a place in the centre of his defence.

"We need the inexperienced players to use games like this to gain experience."

"But I think that, for example, the aggression of Kyriakos could help us in such a game. The biggest mistake would be to play there without the necessary aggression."

Champions League preview: Inter Milan v Schalke

4 April 2011 09:25

Reigning champions Inter Milan enter Tuesday's Champions League clash with Schalke on a low after losing league ground at the weekend.

Inter fell five points adrift of Serie A leaders and bitter rivals AC Milan following a 3-0 loss in Saturday's 'Derby della Madonnina'.

The result shapes as possibly the killer blow to Inter's hopes of retaining the Scudetto in Italy, a feat that seemed nigh-impossible as Rafael Benitez's tenure plumbed new depths earlier in the campaign.

Brazilian manager Leonardo has led the treble-winning champions to a stunning turnaround since taking over in late December, with Saturday's loss the first real setback of his reign.

But Inter still have plenty of reason to feel confident in Europe, after their spirited come-from-behind 3-2 win at Bayern Munich that sealed their progression to the quarter-finals.

Next up is another German club in Schalke, who have under-achieved in the Bundesliga this term but still bundled out Spanish club Valencia 4-2 on aggregate in the round-of-16.

Mixed form at league level has seen Schalke fall to 11th on the German table, one year after finishing runners-up behind Bayern Munich, prompting the unexpected sacking of manager Felix Magath last month.

Tuesday's trip to the San Siro will be a stern test for new boss Ralf Rangnick, who has never before coached in the Champions League knockout stages.

Rangnick may have to make do without a number of first-choice players on Tuesday, notably defender Christoph Metzelder, who broke his nose against St Pauli on Friday.

Mario Gavranovic (ankle) and Peer Kluge (abdomen) also picked up injuries in Friday's league match, which was abandoned with Schalke leading 2-0 after the assistant referee was hit by a cup of beer thrown from the stands.

Inter's biggest absence looks to be Brazilian defender Lucio, who will sit out the match due to suspension and is expected to be replaced by Colombian Ivan Cordoba.

Inter have been troubled without Lucio, and Andrea Ranocchia has been exposed in recent fixtures by Bayern and AC Milan without his partner in central defence.

Whether Ranocchia and Cordoba can work together to limit Schalke's movement will play a big part in determining the winner of Tuesday's opening leg.

The return leg will be played in Germany next week.