Dejan Stankovic scored in the 57th minute and Inter Milan beat Ajax 1-0 on Tuesday to take the last spot in the Champions League quarterfinals.
Inter advanced on 3-2 aggregate and will face Spain’s Villarreal in the last eight.
”I’m pleased with the way we played. It’s not always easy to play a week late,” Inter coach Roberto Mancini said, referring to the fact that the match was delayed a week due to a conflict with AC Milan over the San Siro.
Inter dominated the first half but was starting to cede control when defender Walter Samuel intercepted an Ajax pass and launched Stankovic on a counterattack. Upon entering the area, Stankovic dribbled around midfielder Hedwiges Maduro and drilled in a hard, angled shot to the far corner of the net.
Stankovic also scored in the first leg, when Inter conceded two first-half goals before rallying to draw 2-2.
Despite being able to advance with a goalless draw, Inter created early chances. Nigeria striker Obafemi Martins struck the crossbar with a shot from outside the area in the 12th minute and Brazil forward Adriano put a penalty kick wide in the 27th.
One of Ajax’s few opportunities came when Argentine forward Mauro Rosales shot directly at Inter goalkeeper Francesco Toldo in the 34th.
In the 83rd minute, Toldo also calmly gathered a long, hard shot from Ryan Babel.
”We played very well on defence tonight. In attack, with the players we have, we still can improve a lot,” Mancini told Italy’s Sky TV. ”It wasn’t an easy game.”
Inter joined Juventus and Milan to give Italy three teams in the quarterfinals for the second season in a row.
Inter lost to Milan in the last eight a year ago, when Milan goalkeeper Dida was hit by a flare thrown by Inter fans. The resulting penalty forced Inter to play their first three home matches of this season’s competition in an empty stadium.
The fans were allowed back in Tuesday and watched as the team who won Inter’s last two European titles in 1964 and 1965 were honoured before the game.
Inter will host the first leg against Villarreal on March 29 and travel to Spain for the second leg on April 4.
Mancini said he will instruct his team not to treat themselves as the favourites.
”None of these games are easy,” he said. ”We have to be very, very focused. We can’t play a first half like we did in Amsterdam.” — Sapa-AP