From Mazzola to Adriano: Nerazzurri memories in Belgium | OneFootball

Twenty-one years ago, the world looked very different from today: smartphones didn’t exist yet, the Olympics were being held in Athens more than a century after the last time, and Inter’s attack was led by a young Brazilian wearing the number 10, nicknamed “The Emperor” by the fans. Twenty-one years ago, Inter played their last match in Belgium, in Brussels against Anderlecht. Now, the Nerazzurri are getting ready to take the field in the Belgian capital once again, this time to face Union Saint-Gilloise.

Inter have faced Belgian teams 10 times in official matches so far: the upcoming game against USG will be the eleventh, and the sixth played in Belgium. It will be a chance to relive some of those past encounters. But this story begins much further back in time...

FRIENDLY ON APRIL 5, 1920

Inter and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise have never officially met before. The Belgian team, however, has a long history, having won twelve national championships. Before last season’s title, USG endured a long drought of 90 years: the Union won their first eleven championships between 1904 and 1935, then went through nine decades of struggle, even dropping as low as Division 4, the equivalent of Italy’s Serie D. In the early 1900s, however, Union Saint-Gilloise was one of Belgium’s strongest teams. In 1920, they came to Italy to face Inter and AC Milan in friendly matches during the Easter break. After defeating AC Milan 6-0 on April 4, USG took the field against Inter at the Via Goldoni ground, the Nerazzurri’s stadium at the time. The match ended 4-1 in favor of the Belgians. Despite the defeat, the newspapers described Inter’s performance as follows: "The city’s Nerazzurri defended themselves honourably. Inter’s defence fulfilled its task commendably. Cevenini III, after a shaky start, played well for the remainder of the match. Cevenini I was able to compete skillfully against the excellent Belgian Hebdin." Inter’s only goal was scored by Ermanno Aebi, the historic striker who scored 106 goals in 142 appearances for the Club.

ANDERLECHT, STANDARD LIÈGE AND BEVEREN

Between 1968 and 1979, Inter faced three different Belgian teams across four European competitions. After their first two-legged tie against Anderlecht in the 1968 Intertoto Cup (2-1 in Milan with goals from Cappellini and Suarez, 3-1 for Anderlecht in Brussels despite another goal from Cappellini), the Nerazzurri met the Brussels side again in the semifinals of the 1969/70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Inter won 1-0 away thanks to a goal from Boninsegna, but Anderlecht advanced to the final by winning 2-0 at San Siro.

Two years later, following their 1971 Scudetto triumph, Inter returned to the European Cup. Under coach Gianni Invernizzi, the Nerazzurri faced Standard Liège in the quarterfinals. In the first leg at San Siro, Inter won 1-0 with a goal from Jair, while in Belgium they were defeated 2-1. That was enough for Inter to progress, thanks to Sandro Mazzola’s goal in the 79th minute.

The last Belgian tie of the 1970s came in the 1978/79 Cup Winners’ Cup, when Inter were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Flemish team Beveren. After a 0-0 draw in Milan, the Nerazzurri were knocked out following a 1-0 defeat in Belgium.

THE 1997 UEFA CUP

In 1996/97 Inter met a Belgian side again on their European journey, eighteen years after the last. The Nerazzurri faced Anderlecht in the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup. Inter managed to eliminate Anderlecht after a draw and a win: in Brussels it ended 1-1, with a goal from Ganz in response to Versavel's goal. Two weeks later Inter secured qualification at San Siro with two more goals from Ganz. The Nerazzurri won 2-1 and reached the semi-final of the UEFA Cup 1996/97.

LAST MEETING: SEPTEMBER 29, 2004

Seven years later, Inter faced Anderlecht again, this time in the group stage of the Champions League. This was the last Inter game played in Belgium, in the same stadium that Chivu's team will face Union Saint-Gilloise. In the 2004/05 Champions League, Inter, under Roberto Mancini, were in a group with Valencia, Werder Brema and Anderlecht. After having beaten the Germans 2-0 at San Siro, Inter flew to Brussels to face Anderlecht next. The Nerazzurri secured a clear victory in a match played with great technical quality. The game was dominated by Adriano and Martins, Inter’s spectacular attacking duo. The scoring was opened by the Nigerian striker, perfectly set up by his teammate in the 9th minute. Early in the second half, “The Emperor” headed in the 2-0, and Stankovic sealed the win with a fine strike just three minutes later. Anderlecht’s consolation goal came in stoppage time from Walter Baseggio.

ANDERLECHT 1 - 3 INTER, SEPTEMBER 29, 2004

Goalscorers: 9’ Martins (I), 51’ Adriano (I), 54’ Stankovic (I), 94’ Baseggio (A).

ANDERLECHT: Peersman, Van den Borre, Kompany, Traorè, Deschacht, Mpenza, Hasi (64’ Baseggio), Zetterberg, Wilhelmsson, Dindane, Jestrovic (70’ Iachtchouk). Substitutes: Zitka, Vanderhaeghe, De Boeck, Lovre, Junior. Head Coach: Hugo Broos

INTER: Toldo, Zè Maria, Cordoba, Burdisso, Favalli (52’ J. Zanetti), Veron, Cambiasso, Emre, Stankovic (69’ Davids), Martins, Adriano (67’ Cruz). Substitutes: Fontana, Van der Meyde, Recoba, Materazzi. Head Coach: Roberto Mancini