PARIS – Italian football’s Champions League fortunes suffered a further blow on Wednesday as holders Inter Milan could not stem the tide of home defeats as they went down 1-0 at the San Siro to the team they beat in last season’s final Bayern Munich.
Mario Gomez’ last minute goal saw Inter join city rivals AC Milan and AS Roma in succumbing to home reverses in their Last 16 first leg ties and in real danger of seeing not one representative from Serie A in the last eight in a competition they once dominated. By contrast England could well have four of the last eight as Manchester United were held 0-0 away at French champions and France’s only ever winners of the tournament Marseille in an instantly forgettable encounter.
ARSENAL MAINTAIN TITLE PUSH: Arsenal winger Theo Walcott will miss Sunday’s League Cup Final against Birmingham after sustaining a sprained ankle in his side’s 1-0 win against Stoke at the Emirates.
Captain Cesc Fabregas is also a doubt for the Wembley fixture after suffering a hamstring strain earlier in the same match. Sebastien Squillaci scored the only goal of the match and Wenger was pleased to have kept pace with Manchester United, who are a point ahead of his side at the top of the Premier League table.
