Calhanoglu and Martinez: ‘All down to the 2nd leg’ for Inter and Milan | OneFootball

Hakan Calhanoglu and Josep Martinez are content to keep the Coppa Italia semi-final on an even keel ahead of the second leg, as Inter held Milan 1-1. ‘It’s all down to the second leg.’

The semi-final will be decided entirely on April 23 in the second leg, because it remains perfectly balanced after the first 90 minutes at San Siro.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Milan 1-1 Inter

Tammy Abraham had opened the scoring by pouncing on a lucky ricochet, while Calhanoglu got Inter back on level terms by drilling low from outside the box to squirm under Mike Maignan.

“It was a balanced match, Milan had a few chances, so did we, but we pushed harder in the second half. We conceded an avoidable goal, but we didn’t let go. It was important to get this result, because it’s all down to the second leg,” Calhanoglu told Sport Mediaset.

Inter pushed forward in the final stages, but Maignan made a series of crucial saves to keep the scoreline on equal terms.

“There is time before the second leg, now we have to concentrate on Parma, because we are targeting a very important objective in Serie A. We’ll think about the Coppa Italia later,” added the Turkey international.

Calhanoglu keeps Inter level in Coppa Italia semi-final

MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 02: Christian Pulisic of AC Milan tries to get past Hakan Calhanoglu of FC Internazionale during the Coppa Italia Semi Final match between AC Milan and FC Internazionale at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on April 02, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

The Nerazzurri are yet to beat their rivals this season, having lost the first two in Serie A and the Supercoppa Italiana, then twice come back from a goal down to secure a 1-1 draw in Serie A in February and the Coppa Italia this evening.

“We knew Milan were strong on the transitions, so we tried to keep it tight at the back. We didn’t start the second half well, but we got it back on track,” goalkeeper Martinez told Sport Mediaset.

“We all want to play the Coppa Italia Final, but we’ve got other objectives too and have to take it one game at a time.”