Inter 2 Tottenham 1: Icardi, Vecino complete dramatic late turnaround

Inter's return to the Champions League ended in a dramatic victory over Tottenham after late goals from Mauro Icardi and Matias Vecino.

Published : Sep 19, 2018 00:39 IST

Mauro Emanuel Icardi (L) celebrates his goal against Tottenham Hotspur.
Mauro Emanuel Icardi (L) celebrates his goal against Tottenham Hotspur.
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Mauro Emanuel Icardi (L) celebrates his goal against Tottenham Hotspur.

Inter Milan mounted a stunning late turnaround to come from behind and shock Tottenham with a dramatic 2-1 Champions League victory at a raucous San Siro on Tuesday.

With five minutes of normal time remaining, the home side was trailing to Christian Eriksen's heavily deflected strike until Mauro Icardi and Matias Vecino netted in quick succession to turn the Group B encounter on its head.

Spurs was perhaps fortunate to see Eriksen's opener loop over Samir Handanovic off Miranda, but Mauricio Pochettino's side looked in little danger of relinquishing its lead heading into the final stages.

RELATED | Spurs deserved more from best performance of the season - Pochettino

Inter was inspired by Icardi's moment of magic, however, the captain thundering a first-time volley into the bottom-left corner from 20 yards before Vecino nodded in Stefan de Vrij's header from a corner in the second minute of stoppage time.

 

It was a dramatic denouement to a largely scrappy affair, which had taken 37 minutes for either team to carve out a chance of any note - Harry Kane rounding Handanovic but then losing control after being picked out by Eriksen's majestic chipped pass.

That disappointment was swiftly overcome after the resumption, though, as a flat-footed Handanovic clawed unsuccessfully at Eriksen's effort, having got down smartly to keep out the initial shot.

And there was little sign of the late drama to come as Icardi thumped in Kwadwo Asamoah's cross from the left before Vecino was in the right place to secure Inter's celebratory return to European football's top table for the first time since 2011-12.

RELATED | Spalletti's Inter to take heart from Tottenham turnaround

 

What it means: Pochettino's unwanted hat-trick

Following successive Premier League defeats to Watford and Liverpool, Spurs has now lost three straight matches under Pochettino for the first time since his tenure began in 2014.

Pat on the back: Icardi proves Inter's inspiration

The Argentine was anonymous in the first half - his six touches were fewer than any other player - but his sensational volley galvanised both his team-mates and the stadium.

Boot up the backside: Spurs let it slip

With 84 minutes gone Spurs looked in no trouble. Although one can hardly legislate for Icardi's moment of brilliance, there was no man in a white shirt remotely near him. From that point on the momentum was with Inter.

What's next?

Spurs will be desperate to avoid a fourth successive loss at Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday. Inter, with only one win from four Serie A games this season, will head to Sampdoria with a spring in its step.

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