good evening everyone tonight we're talking to you from one of the special venues in european
football the san siro here in the city of milan i'm derek ray and sharing commentary
with me as usual is stuart robson and this is where it all starts in the uefa champions
league the group stage and match day one my goodness so much to look forward to it's
inter taking on real madrid well the first game of the group is so vital
you just can't get off to a losing start this could be a tight battle today derek
and a look at the inter team samia handanovich begins between the posts
stefan the fry plays with milan striniar in central defence
hakan chalanolu starts alongside marcelo brozovich in the center of midfield and so
many different ways to configure an attack in this case it'll be two main up front
and here's the starting 11 for real madrid tebow courtois is the keeper
of choice kappa hal starts with david alaba's full backs tony course starts with casimiro
in the center of the pitch and beginning the game up front today karine benzema
it's the opening match day champions league group stage match day one underway
nacho fernandez versus alaba marco asensio
now casemiro
possession one
benzema wonderful chance there it is a delightful start to this match just what they were hoping for
well this is a very tidy finish as you can see he's under so much pressure
but his strength just allows him to hit through the ball cleanly it's an excellent goal
so the ball rolling again with the score line standing at one nil
ivan
martinez
let's see what they can do here the taco completely missed time and you would expect
a booking under the circumstances well a yellow card so early in this one stuart well it doesn't
matter how early it is in the game that's a poor challenge and deserve the booking
well no surprise to see him go for goal but a routine save in the end
so plenty of forward momentum from real madrid here pressing high to win the ball
carrying benzema
casimiro mastery of the passing game crossing possibilities real madrid get the throw in
we're getting right on top of their opponents and winning it back of course
it might be on for them here's casimiro
david alaba and the flag has gone up just when he looked ready to pounce perhaps well
he was just too static in the end which is a shame because that was a dangerous situation
correa
and a big moment because the referee is pointed to the sport penalty coming up
and the referee will take his name as well yeah it
was a poor challenge and the referee is absolutely right to take his name
an opportunity to level matters and finding the targets
well as you can see the keeper makes no effort in the end he
was hoping it would be struck down the middle but it's an easy finish really
so back underway following the equalizer
but he had to read it and get there and did
modric this is course attacking possibilities for real cavacao
modric
marco ascencio
and return to marco asensio body in the way could be a chance to break here
will it be sufficiently imaginative another example of a counter attack that went nowhere
bends them up and now passing it through
but no just offside well it was close and it is offside the assistant got that absolutely right
ivan
on the electronic board showing one additional minute and offside well close one
and there it is the halftime whistle
well martinez did look as though he was enjoying himself in the first half what did you make of him
well he stepped forward for his team with the equalizer it could prove to be the key turning
point in this contest as they haven't been at their best today you do feel they need to find him
and so the second half of this champions league group stage match day one contest commences
modric
marco asensio casemiro on to benzema tony course
keeping the ball moving but then the commentators curse comes into play
chat mateo damian excellent defending
tony cause
moving the ball forward with purpose but they took care of the situation defensively
martinez
oh really close just over the top
the really intense pressure applied
casimiro
carbacao
he's won the ball and benzema at the hub of this attack let's see what he does next
this might be the perfect counter attacking opportunity
well they haven't had too much to cheer about for a
while now but the goal would be a huge bonus here
on the corner here from marcelo brozovich pretty comfortable piece of defending
he stopped them just when they looked menacing
benzema marco ascencio
casemiro benzema ascencio oh how did he get there and danovich with the same
oh incredible save and he snuffed out the danger
well the inter fans are certainly playing their part but can the players respond and
get this winner into still on the attack and the game's closing moments a level contest
and now it is there for him
given away by inter
mastery of the passing game benzema an important interception
intense pressure there will be one minute added on at the end
can he put them in front he does
and with so little time left that might be the winner wonderful drama
here's the replay and it all starts off with that crossing to the box just begging for a
teammate to get on the end of it and his movement's so clever once he gets onto it
there's only one thought in his head smash it as hard as possible what a good goal
so full time it is and the morale boosting three points on the board to begin the european campaign
yeah that's a good win and a vital three points
another win next time out and they'll be in a great position
well it truly was a substantial performance from lautaro martinez stuart what caught
your eye most of all well he looked a top class player today every time he touched the ball he
was a threat and he worked so hard for the team as well what a good display that was