Romelu Lukaku and Andreas Christensen scored in either side of the half-time break to help Inter Milan beat Getafe in Gelsenkirchen.
Inter Milan players. (Photo by Ina Fassbender / various sources / AFP)
Inter Milan on Wednesday defeated Getafe 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League 2019-20. Romelu Lukaku and Andreas Christensen scored in either side of the half-time break for the Nerazzurri in Gelsenkirchen.
Antonio Conte’s men will now face Steven Gerrard’s Rangers or Bayer Leverkusen. The German club will hold a 3-1 lead from their first leg match going into the second leg on Thursday.
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Meanwhile, the Round of 16 tie between Inter and Getafe was just played over one leg after the first leg was cancelled after COVID-19 pandemic had brought all football-related activities to a standstill in Europe in mid-March.
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It was decided that the ties for which the first-leg matches were possible before the pandemic struck would have a second leg to determine the winner. While the remaining matches were decided to be played with just one leg to save time.
Lukaku scored the opener of the night in the 33rd when he slotted home a long ball past Getafe keeper. With that the Belgian striker equalled Alan Shearer’s record of scoring in eight consecutive European matches. Shearer had achieved the feat for Newcastle United in the 2004-05 season.
The Spanish side then had the opportunity to bring parity into the contest in the 65th minute. A VAR review found that Diego Godin had handballed in his own box and awarded Getafe a penalty. But to their dismay, veteran cente-forward Jorge Molina failed to see the back of the net from the 12 yards spot.
With six minutes remaining, Eriksen reserved Inter’s spot in the last eight of the ongoing Europa League. Getafe defender Dakonam Djene made a mess of a clearance in his own area before the former Tottenham Hotspur player made the scoreline 2-0 in the 84th minute.
In another match of the night, 2009 champions Shaktar Donetsk proceeded to the quarterfinals after beating Wolfsburg 3-0. They will either face Basel or Eintracht Frankfurt in the next round.
On Thursday Rangers head to Leverkusen, Wolves host Olympiakos, and Sevilla face Roma in Duisburg.
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