Inter Milan Secures Crucial 1-0 Victory Over Sparta Prague in Champions League

Inter Milan took a significant step towards securing a last-16 spot in the Champions League with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Sparta Prague.

Inter Milan took a significant step towards securing a top-eight spot in the UEFA Champions League with a hard-earned 1-0 victory at Sparta Prague. This win virtually guarantees Inter Milan's spot among the eight teams advancing straight to the last 16, while Sparta Prague's European journey will come to an end after the league phase.

Sparta Prague knew that a victory was necessary to keep their play-off qualification hopes alive, but this task seemed almost impossible against Inter Milan, who had won seven of their previous eight away matches. Despite the daunting challenge, Sparta Prague put in a solid performance, but ultimately, Inter Milan's quality told.

Inter Milan took the lead after just 12 minutes when Alessandro Bastoni's far-post cross found Lautaro Martinez, who thumped a volley off the ground, crossbar, and into Peter Vindahl Jensen's net. Martinez's fifth goal in his last seven appearances sparked Sparta Prague into action, and they began to play more freely as the first half progressed.

As the match wore on, Sparta Prague created several chances, and they could have easily equalized when they worked the ball into the box, forcing Yann Sommer to make a strong save to deny Veljko Birmancevic's effort. Nicolo Barella missed a chance for Inter Milan, but it was Sparta Prague who had seen the better of the goalmouth action in a half with few clear-cut chances.

In stark contrast to the first half, the second half began with Sparta Prague swarming the Inter Milan box, testing Yann Sommer's reflexes once again with Veljko Birmancevic's near-post drive. However, this aggressive approach left them vulnerable at the back, and they were fortunate that VAR intervened to disallow Denzel Dumfries' strike due to an offside in the build-up.

The same pattern continued throughout the match's latter stages, with Sparta Prague pushing hard for an equalizer, but Inter Milan remained confident and assured on the ball. Peter Vindahl Jensen kept his side in contention with a crucial save, tipping Davide Frattesi's attempt over the bar. As the match wore on, Sparta Prague's efforts began to take their toll, and they were ultimately left chasing shadows as the final exchanges played out.

Another win and another clean sheet for Inter 👏#UCL pic.twitter.com/S7kvQZ40AN

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 22, 2025

Inter Milan's superior goal difference means that their fate is firmly in their own hands, and a point against AS Monaco on matchday eight will secure a last-16 berth. In contrast, Sparta Prague's European campaign has come to an end, with the team losing five successive Champions League matches for the first time ever. This defeat marks a disappointing conclusion to their campaign, with Sparta Prague having won just one of their last 21 outings in Europe's top tier.