Inter seal Champions League knockout place with win over Viktoria Plzen, Barcelona eliminated

Updated: May 16, 2023, 11:53 pm
Inter Milan advanced to the Champions League knockout stages after beating Viktoria Plzen on Wednesday.
Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images

Inter Milan sailed into the Champions League last 16 after an Edin Dzeko double fired them to a 4-0 home win over Viktoria Plzen in Group C on Wednesday, a result that eliminated Barcelona and relegated them to the Europa League.

The Serie A side moved up to 10 points with the win, six clear of Barca who host Bayern Munich later on Wednesday.

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Even if Barca beat the Germans and win their final group game against Viktoria Plzen, Inter will still qualify with a better head-to-head record against the Catalans.

A lively opening yielded early chances for Inter but they were thwarted by Plzen goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek who pulled off a superb double save in the 25th minute before Henrikh Mkhitaryan put the hosts ahead 10 minutes later.

The former Manchester United midfielder turned in Alessandro Bastoni's looping cross and Dzeko then put Inter in total command when he tapped home after Federico Dimarco had latched on to Nicolo Barella's excellent crossfield pass.

Plzen, winless in this year's competition, offered little offensive threat and were sliced open again in the 66th minute as Dzeko added to his tally when he swept in Lautaro Martinez's pass inside the area.

Romelu Lukaku marked his long-awaited return from injury with a goal as he completed the rout after slotting past Stanek following a perfectly weighted through ball from Joaquin Correa.