Player Ratings: Inter 1-2 Wolfsburg (Agg. 2-5)
Daniel Caligiuri fired Die Wolfe into a deserved first half lead before Rodrigo Palacio levelled scores on the night with twenty minutes to play. Substitute Nicklas Bendtner scored in the last minute to condemn the Nerazzurri to defeat.
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Inter
Juan Pablo Carrizo – 6.5 – Improved
Sightly improved from the first leg, but was unfortunate to not get enough on Caligiuri’s opener to prevent it bouncing over the line and could have done better with Bendtner’s late strike.
Hugo Campagnaro – 6 – Troubled
Endured a tough evening against De Bruyne and Caligiuri in defence. Found space at the other end of the pitch but wasted multiple crosses.
Andrea Ranocchia – 6 – Struggled
Struggled, as part of the defensive unit, to keep the duo of De Bruyne and Caligiuri quiet.
Juan Jesus – 6.5 – Careless
Was spared by his goalkeeper after his early error allowed Dost through and was caught flat footed at other moments, but was otherwise decent.
Davide Santon – 6.5 – Roaming
Given the licence to roam, often supplied much needed width, had the same problem as everyone else as his crosses rarely found their intended target.
Fredy Guarin – 6 – Wayward
Lacked creativity, denied at point-blank range by Benaglio after a rare Wolfsburg defensive error. His crossing was erratic and wayward.
Gary Medel – 6 – Solid
Ever-reliable in his holding role, dropped even deeper to offer another option and open up the pitch.
Hernanes – 6.5 – Driven
The best and most driven Nerazzurri player on the night. Committed in both attack and defence, he provided the assist for Palacio’s strike
Mateo Kovacic – 6 – Underwhelming
Worked himself into decent positions but was underwhelmed with his passing. Had a number of efforts at goal without testing the keeper.
Mauro Icardi – 5.5 – Poor
Forced Benaglio into several first-half saves but was generally out manoeuvred by the Wolfsburg defence and generally lacked his usual potency.
Rodrigo Palacio – 6.5 – Denied
Denied by Benaglio’s brilliance on multiple occasions, finally got his deserved goal after 72 minutes.
Substitutes
Zdravko Kuzmanovic – 5.5 – Anonymous
Replaced Kovacic early in the second half, barely had an impact on the game.
Danilo D’Ambrosio – N/A
A late replacement for the tiring Campagnaro.
Wolfsburg
Diego Benaglio – 7.5 – Brilliant
The Swiss produced a number of fine saves to keep Inter at bay, did particularly well to deny Guarin and Palacio. Stood little chance with Palacio’s goal.
Christian Trasch – 7 – Victor
Enjoyed a good personal duel with Santon at both ends of the pitch, and emerged as the winner out of the two, if only just.
Robin Knoche – 6.5 – Calm
The 22-year-old was calm and composed for the majority of the game, but perhaps could have tracked Palacio better for his goal.
Timm Klose – 7 – Assured
Played a key role in the build-up to the goal with his ball played down the line. Offered no time or space for the Inter forwards.
Ricardo Rodriguez – 7 – Reliable
Did well to handle Hernanes and Palacio when they combined and was convincing in his aerial challenges, winning more than anyone else.
Joshua Guilavogui – 6.5 – Committed
The Frenchman, playing in a similar role to Gustavo was less effective and committed several fouls in the process.
Luiz Gustavo – 7 – Disruptive
Completed his job of sitting between the midfield and defence with aplomb. Disrupted Inter attacks and started the counter attacks.
Vieirinha – 6.5 – Faded
Lively in the early exchanges but his influence on the game drained as the game continued.
Kevin De Bruyne – 7.5 – Menacing
Looked menacing with his every touch of the ball. Swift and dangerous on the counter and provided the perfect ball for Caligiuri to slot home.
Daniel Caligiuri – 7.5 – Confident
Opened the scoring with a side footed finish under the keeper. Linked well with De Bruyne to cause numerous problems on the left flank.
Bas Dost – 5.5 – Wasteful
Fluffed his lines in an early one-on-one situation with Carrizo, had a number of chances but failed to find the target often enough.
Substitutes
Nicklas Bendtner – 7 – Impact
On for Dost after the hour mark, snapped his barren run with his late winner from inside the box.
Ivan Perisic – 6.5 – Continuation
Replaced Caligiuri, continued in the same manner.
Maximilian Arnold – 7 – Clutch
Only on for the final few minutes, assisted Bendtner’s late winner.