Trabzonspor 1 : 1 Inter Milan - Inter progress with point

Posted Tuesday, November 22, 2011 by PA

Inter Milan reached the Champions League knockout stages and guaranteed top spot in Group B after Ricardo Alvarez's first-half goal helped them to a 1-1 draw at Trabzonspor.

Inter started the night with their progress already guaranteed after group rivals Lille beat CSKA Moscow in an earlier kick-off, but the point in Turkey was enough to ensure they cannot be caught in top spot.

The result leaves Trabzonspor in second spot on six points, but they are just one point ahead of both Lille and CSKA.

Claudio Ranieri's Inter had every reason to approach the tie with caution having been shocked 1-0 by the Turkish side in the opening round of Group B fixtures earlier in the season.

Early efforts from Ondrej Celustka and Burak Yilmaz did nothing to ease Italian nerves and the home side pushed for an opener with Giray Kacar also coming close before Yilmaz dropped a volley into Inter keeper Julio Cesar's arms.

Inter grabbed their opener against the run of play in the 17th minute when Alvarez swept home a low shot from the right side of the penalty area after a neat ball from the left by Diego Milito.

The home side responded well with Yilmaz shooting just wide before they equalised just five minutes later when Halil Altintop blazed a 25-yard effort high into the roof of Julio Cesar's net.

The dangerous Yilmaz saw a shot blocked in the box by Walter Samuel then Alanzinho came close to giving the Turkish side the lead when his left-foot shot from 20 yards was tipped around by post by Julio Cesar.

The keeper also saved well from Yilmaz before Inter had a chance to regain their lead when Mauro Zarate's right-foot shot from the edge of the box was tipped round the post by Tolga Zengin.

Trabzonspor started the second half with Didier Zokora firing over the bar from long range, then Yilmaz saw another chance go begging as his 20-yard effort was punched out by Julio Cesar.

Zengin denied Dejan Stankovic with a diving save in the 55th minute while Milito missed the target with a header from six yards as Ranieri's men began to grow in confidence.

Yilmaz remained a constant threat but the home side's best and final chance of claiming three valuable points came in the 76th minute when Adrian Mierzejewski's header from the middle of the box rebounded off the post.