In a hard-fought encounter, Lautaro Martinez's late strike secured a 1-1 draw for last season's Champions League runners-up, Inter Milan, against Real Sociedad on Wednesday. This denied the Spanish side a triumphant return to the competition after a decade-long absence.
Brais Mendez's early goal kept the sides separated in San Sebastian for the majority of the match. However, despite an intense performance that left Simone Inzaghi's team battered, they managed to hold their ground and avoid defeat.
Real Sociedad's performance was particularly commendable, especially considering Inter's recent dominant 5-1 victory over their rivals AC Milan, which had kept them at the top of Italy's Serie A.
Imanol Alguacil's squad started the match with great intensity, as Mendez forced a save from Yann Sommer and Ander Barrenetxea struck the post in a frenetic opening.
Although Real Sociedad had waited a decade to make their return to the Champions League, it took them only four minutes to take the lead.
The home team applied high pressure on defender Alessandro Bastoni to regain possession at the edge of the box, allowing Mendez to elegantly slot the ball home.
Inter succeeded in stabilizing the pace of the game but struggled to generate threatening opportunities of their own.
Robin Le Normand missed a headed chance just before halftime, a moment where he could have potentially extended La Real's lead. Additionally, Yann Sommer thwarted Takefusa Kubo's attempt on goal.
Inter's Swiss goalkeeper tipped a Mendez free-kick to safety and then produced a superb save to deny Mikel Oyarzabal early in the second half as the hosts came out renewed, as determined as they were at the start.
The visitors had a close call when referee Michael Oliver initially issued a red card to Nicolo Barella for violent conduct during an altercation with Mendez. However, after consulting the VAR replay, the decision was overturned.
Real Sociedad's midfielder Mikel Merino came close to sealing the game with a glancing header that grazed the bar with 20 minutes remaining.
Inter's substitute Marcus Thuram managed to put the ball in the net from Carlos Augusto's cross, but the Brazilian full-back was deemed offside, leading to the goal being disallowed.
In the final stages, Real Sociedad failed to heed the warning and conceded when substitute Davide Frattesi unleashed a precise pass to find Martinez, who struck the ball into the net.
