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Inter Milan ended their long wait for a Champions League return, after a dramatic 3-2 win over Lazio on the final matchday of the Serie A 2017/18 campaign.
A win was imperative to secure a direct qualification, as they trailed the Rome outfit by 3 points heading into the final fixture. The visitors twice fell behind in the game and only leveled the proceedings in the 78th minute when Mauro Icardi struck from the spot.
Senad Lulic was sent off in the next minute, as the hosts were down to 10 men, and Inter made the man advantage count when Matias Vecino scored the winner just three minutes later.
Le Aquile huffed and puffed for the remainder of the game, but another red card deep in extra-time rubbed more salt on their wounds.
The result means the Nerazzurris go through on superior head-to-head record, marking their return to Europe's premier club competition after 6 long years. But, several significant events have transpired since their last appearance. Here are the top 5 things to happen:
#5 Juventus end Serie A’s wait for a representative in the final
Ironically, it was Inter Milan in 2010 to be the last Italian side in a Champions League final until Juventus ended the run in 2015. In between those five years, not one Serie A outfit even made it to the last 4 - such was the plunge the league witnessed on the European horizon.
But, the turn of the decade saw the resurgence of the Old Lady, who overthrew both Milan sides to reclaim league dominance. And it’s epoch continues to this day.
However, the Bianconeris signified the re-emergence of Italian sides to the high table of European football, when they marched all the way to the finals of the Champions League in 2015.
They were undone by a swashbuckling Barcelona in the final hurdle but, gave themselves a shot at redemption by reaching finals again last year. This time, Juventus went down to the history-making Real Madrid side.
So while the wait for a Serie A contingent in the finals have long ended, it is yet to produce a winner since 2010 - when again, ironically, the Nerazzurri beat Bayern to claim the first and only treble in Italian football.
#4 Messi and Ronaldo surpass Raul’s long-standing haul of 71 goals
This was always coming. Raul’s record of 71 goals in the Champions League could feel the tremors ever since Messi and Ronaldo got going in the competition.
The watershed moment finally arrived in November 2014, when the Argentine surpassed the mark with his opening goal against Ajax in a group fixture.
He would go on to score a hat-trick that day, and his Real Madrid rival soon joined him in the league with a penalty against Ludogorets on the following matchday.
Their current stats stand at 100 and 121 respectively, but in almost 4 years since breaking the record, no other player has managed to emulate the feat again.
The closest among the active players is Karim Benzema, but his tally of 55 goals is still streets behind Raul’s.
Another testament to the extra-terrestrial duo’s unparalleled greatness.
#3 Liverpool return to Champions League finals
Liverpool are England’s most successful side when it comes to European glory. With 5 Champions League medals, they eclipse even Manchester United. But it had been 11 years since the Reds last appeared in a final before securing one this season.
The great Merseysiders witnessed a dramatic decline since losing the 2007 showpiece to Milan, even failing to qualify for four consecutive seasons from 2010/11 to 2013/14.
But the arrival of Jurgen Klopp has turned the tides. Liverpool are back among the Premier League elite, and after this season, also among that of Europe.
They successfully saw off Porto, Manchester City and AS Roma en route to the Kiev finale, but standing in their way of a sixth European crown, are the mighty Real Madrid, who are aiming to win a third consecutive title on the trot.
Beating this Blancos side would be a massive statement of intent from Liverpool.
#2 Barcelona win a second treble
As much as winning a treble is historic, Barcelona went one better in 2015 when they did for the second time. And the world was gaping in awe.
The Blaugrana, who became an indomitable force since Pep Guardiola took over the mantle in 2008, were back to become the European doyen after a year in mediocrity.
Following a trophyless 2013/14 season under Tata Martino, Barcelona rose from the ashes under new manager Luis Enrique and swept everything aside. The decline of both Madrid sides saw them romp to the La Liga title, followed by the Copa Del Rey glory.
Then came the all-important Champions League clash against Juventus, but a clinical show in the Berlin final meant there was no stopping them from doing the treble; the first team to do it twice in history.
#1 Real Madrid end UCL drought; win thrice in 4 years
Once upon a time when Inter Milan dined at the high table of European football; matching shoulder-to-shoulder with the very best in the business, Real Madrid were struggling to even get past the first knock-out round.
In fact, when the Nerazzurris won the Champions League at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2010, Los Blancos were consigned to a last 16 exit by Ligue 1 minnows Lyon.
Such was the contrast of powers back then. But the current circumstances are starkly different.
Not only did Real Madrid end the drought with the much-coveted La Decima in 2014, but also went on to win another two Champions League crowns in the following three years. And now, stand on the cusp of a third on the trot when they take on Liverpool this weekend.
The Merengues had fallen by the wayside in Europe after the 2002 triumph. But since clinching the 10th, they’ve burnished their credentials as Europe’s most dominant force.
