UEFA Champions League: Frattesi’s late strike hands Inter Milan first leg advantage

Inter will take a slender lead into the second leg of their Champions League tie against Bayern Munich, thanks to Davide Frattesi’s heroics.

Davide Frattesi came off the bench to score an 88th-minute winner as Inter snatched a 2-1 victory at Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie.

Frattesi turned Carlos Augusto’s cross past stand-in Bayern goalkeeper Jonas Urbig to stun the crowd at the Allianz Arena, where Inter hung on through sustained periods of pressure.

Lautaro Martinez had earlier put Inter 1-0 up with a brilliant outside-of-the-foot finish, only for Thomas Muller – who will leave Bayern at the end of the season – to level five minutes from time.

But Frattesi’s late intervention ensured Inter will take a slender advantage into the second leg at San Siro next Wednesday, with Bayern having it all to do to advance.

Michael Olise shot just wide, and Harry Kane headed straight at former Bayern goalkeeper Yann Sommer as the hosts started confidently.

They should have gone ahead in the 26th minute, but Kane came up with a glaring miss, striking the post when found unmarked by Olise near the six-yard box.

And the England captain was punished for that miss in the 38th minute. After Marcus Thuram laid the ball back to the edge of the box, Martinez poked into the top-right corner with the outside of his right boot.

Urbig denied Martinez a second with a strong near-post save early in the second half, but Bayern continued to make most of the running as Raphael Guerreiro’s volley skimmed the top of the crossbar.

Muller, who recently announced his 17-year spell with Bayern will come to an end at the conclusion of this season, came on as a substitute and seemed to have spared the hosts’ blushes with a typical poacher’s finish.

But with Bayern’s supporters still toasting their leveler, Inter surged forward on the break, and Frattesi poked home, sparking wild celebrations from the visiting players.

Before this game, Bayern had gone 22 home Champions League matches without defeat, winning 17 and drawing five.

Their last such defeat at the Allianz also came in a quarterfinal first leg against Paris Saint-Germain in April 2021 (2-3).

But Inter are among the leading contenders for the trophy, and they showed their mettle here with another resolute defensive display.