Goals: N/A
Recap: Ninety minutes of uninspired play saw Inter Milan and Qarabag play to a scoreless draw on Thursday.
A stagnant first half provided limited chances from both sides. Leroy George’s attempt in the dying seconds served as the only true goal scoring opportunity, but an alert Juan Pablo Carrizo parried it to safety with relative ease. The second half provided more of the same.
With the result, Inter Milan finishes atop Group F with 12 points.
Key Moment: Qarabag had their winner. Qarabag qualified for the Round of 32, but the officials had different plans. The match-winner, deflecting of Inter’s Isaac Donkor, trickled past Carizzo in the dying seconds of the match. It was, however, incorrectly ruled offside.
Man of the Match: Inter Milan’s Joel Obi was a machine in the central part of the pitch. The 23-year-old finished with eight tackles and two take-ons.
Lesson Learned: Despite needing a victory to qualify for the Round of 32 and despite Inter’s reluctance to give the match importance, Qarabag opted for a more conservative approach. The hosts stubbornly attempted to build through the middle for a majority of the first half, neglecting width and pace down the channels. Obi derailed the attack. It remained stagnant as a result, seeing Qarabag carelessly turn the ball over. It nearly ended in the club's favor, but would prove to be costly in the end. Unable to obtain the result required, coupled with Dnipro’s victory, Qarabag have been eliminated from Europa League play.
Up Next: Both clubs return to league play, with Qarabag visiting Qabala on Dec. 14 and Inter Milan traveling to face Chievo on Dec. 15.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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