FC Twente denied Inter Milan a winning start to their UEFA Champions League title defence with a 2-2 draw.
Champions forced to settle for single point from opening clash
FC Twente denied Inter Milan a winning start to their UEFA Champions League title defence as the Italian giants could only manage a 2-2 draw.
Inter, looking to become the first side retain the European title since local rivals AC Milan achieved the feat in 1990, were firmly tested by the lively Dutch champions on a drizzly Tuesday evening in Enschede.
Back on home soil, Holland star Wesley Sneijder drew the first blood for Rafa Benitez's side early in the opening half, taking advantage of some sloppy Twente defending to slot the ball home off a saved Diego Milito attempt.
However the hosts, making their Champions League debut under new coach Michel Preud'homme, wasted no time in levelling the scores as Theo Janssen's powerful free-kick evaded Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar, then took a surprise lead courtesy of Diego Milito's headed own-goal.
Inter soon compensated for that mistake as Samuel Eto'o pulled the visitors level with an attractive strike just minutes before the break, but that goal ended the scoring as Twente made an encouraging start to their campaign.
Last season's Treble-winners Inter were quick to hit their stride early on, with Sneijder needing just 13 minutes to find the back of the net. The Dutchman reacting quickly after Milito's blocked effort to chip the ball neatly home from in front of the goal.
But the Eredivisie champions did not need long to respond as Janssen made maximum use of a free-kick given for a foul by Inter's Walter Samuel seven minutes later. Cesar was helpless to reply as the midfielder unleashed a powerful left-footed strike over the Inter wall and straight into the top left-hand corner.
Own goal
The visitor's woes then deepened in the 31st minute when Milito got under a Twente corner, unwittingly nodding it into his own net to put the home side 2-1 ahead.
But Eto'o ensured that lead was short-lived as he equalised four minutes before the break. The Cameroonian feinted slightly to the left before curving a fine strike around the home side's defence and firmly into the bottom right-hand corner.
Twente almost reclaimed their advantage on the stroke of half-time as a solid Roberto Rosales cross found Marc Janko, but the striker blundered a golden opportunity as he headed what should have been the home side's third goal over the crossbar.
Both sides were focused on defending in a largely uneventful start to the second half, with the most drama coming just minutes after the restart when Inter right-back Maicon was booked for a questionable challenge.
The visitors endured further problems soon after when Goran Pandev was stretchered from the pitch following a collision, with young Brazilian Coutinho coming off the bench.
Inter dominated possession for the remainder of the half, unleashing several attempts to put Twente keeper Nikolay Mihaylov under pressure, but ultimately could not find a way past the hosts, with both sides taking a point on the final whistle.
| FC Twente |
Team Statistics |
Internazionale |
| 2 |
Goals |
2 |
| 2 |
1st Half Goals |
2 |
| 5 |
Shots on Target |
3 |
| 7 |
Shots off Target |
5 |
| 0 |
Blocked Shots |
7 |
| 6 |
Corners |
4 |
| 17 |
Fouls |
7 |
| 1 |
Offsides |
0 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 84.9 |
Passing Success |
82.6 |
| 24 |
Tackles |
22 |
| 79.2 |
Tackles Success |
72.7 |
| 45 |
Possession |
55 |
| 45.3 |
Territorial Advantage |
54.7 |
|
