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#3 Edin Dzeko
Inter signed Edin Dzeko from AS Roma in the summer as Romelu Lukaku’s replacement. The 35-year-old striker did his best to make his mark at the San Siro on Wednesday. No, he did not score or assist, but his movements in and around the Real Madrid box were pretty impressive.
The Bosnian sharpshooter was deployed alongside Lautaro Martinez in the attack and linked with his partner effortlessly. He used his physicality to his advantage and won the most duels (7). Real Madrid had a particularly hard time containing him in the first half but they improved in the second.
Dzeko, who was fouled four times in the match, registered three shots, keeping all of them on target. He came close to scoring the opener in the 54th minute from a well-taken Hakan Calhanoglu corner, but Thibaut Courtois was up to the task. All in all, it was a decent game from the forward, but he failed to put in the much-needed finishing touch.
#2 Stefan de Vrij
Inter’s defender-in-chief Stefan de Vrij may not be the most excitable centre-back in the world, but he sure knows how to make an impact. Against Real Madrid, he was tasked with keeping a lid on Karim Benzema, who had scored a hat-trick in his last La Liga match. De Vrij rose to the challenge and nullified Benzema’s threat expertly.
The Dutchman also contributed to Inter’s attack from time to time and was an expert interceptor of the ball. The Netherlands international barely put a step wrong throughout the match but still ended up on the losing side following a lapse in judgment.
Inter's number 6 failed to read Rodrygo’s movement in the dying minutes of the match and watched on helplessly as the Brazilian scored. The youngster’s cheeky movement caught De Vrij off-guard, with the Dutchman busy tracking Nacho’s run at the time.
#1 Marcelo Brozovic
Even without Toni Kroos, Real Madrid possess one of the most versatile midfields in the world. Luka Modric, Casemiro and Fede Valverde started for Los Blancos on Wednesday, hoping to suffocate Inter’s midfield. Their experience in the competition gave them the upper hand, but Inter's number 77 was having none of it.
Croatian central midfielder Marcelo Brozovic went toe-to-toe with his countryman Modric to keep Real Madrid from taking control of midfield. With 99, Brozovic completed the most passes in the match, which was impressive against Real’s world-class midfielders.
He pushed forward, dropped deep, cut passing lanes, and even came mighty close to hitting the back of the net. At the San Siro, Brozovic was Inter’s brightest spark and probably deserved to go home with at least a point.
