Unbeaten Inter claim top Champions League spot​​

An own goal by RB Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba gave Inter Milan a 1-0 home win in the Champions League on Tuesday as the Italian champions provisionally moved top of the standings.

Unbeaten Inter top the table with 13 points from five games, one point above second-placed Barcelona – who beat Brest 3-0 – and third-placed Liverpool, who have a game in hand and host defending champions Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Inter dominated the first half and took the lead in the 27th minute after Lukeba turned the ball into Leipzig’s own net following Federico Dimarco‘s free kick.

Dimarco, making his first Champions League start of the season, curled a cross into the box and the ball bounced in off the 21-year-old’s foot.

The hosts looked set for a comfortable victory, however Simone Inzaghi’s men slowed their pace significantly after the break.

Leipzig sensed their chance and grew into the clash, and Inter keeper Yann Sommer pulled off a brilliant save when he denied a low attempt from Antonio Nusa in the 69th minute.

The visitors, who came into the match as one of five teams to have lost their first four games, were without midfielder Xavi Simons, sidelined with an ankle injury.

They were also without defender Lukas Klostermann, who joined an already long absentee list after he was forced off with a calf injury at halftime of their 4-3 defeat at Hoffenheim on Saturday.

Inter, meanwhile, had Hakan Çalhanoglu back after a thigh injury, and Lautaro Martínez started up front alongside Mehdi Taremi after the Argentina striker was sick following his return from international duty.

Inter continued to skate on thin ice as they risked conceding a late equaliser before Henrikh Mkhitaryan thought he had doubled their lead in stoppage time, but the goal was ruled out for a foul by Marcus Thuram.

They managed to avoid a slip-up and maintained their perfect defensive record in the competition as the only team yet to concede a goal at this point of their European campaign.

Inter have won four consecutive games without conceding for the first time in Europe’s top-tier competition, after a run of three in 1966-67 and 2009-10.

They beat Red Star Belgrade 4-0, Young Boys 1-0 and Arsenal 1-0 after opening their campaign with a goalless draw at Manchester City.

Three-times champions Inter, who are third in Serie A and one point off leaders Napoli, next visit German champions Bayer Leverkusen on Dec. 10.

Leipzig, still in search of their first points of the league phase after five consecutive losses in the competition, host Aston Villa the same day.

AC Milan earned their third successive Champions League win with a 3-2 victory at Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday, hanging on after the home side sought to stage a late comeback.

Milan arrived on the back of a 3-1 win at Real Madrid while Slovan were beaten 4-1 by Dinamo Zagreb last time out in the tournament, but for much of the game the home side looked more than capable of causing their visitors real problems.

The first half ended level with Milan’s Christian Pulisic opening the scoring in the 21st minute before a quick counter-attack led to Slovan’s Tigran Barseghyan equalising three minutes later.

Milan struggled to put Slovan away before substitute Rafael Leão put them back in front in the 68th minute and Tammy Abraham capitalised on a horror back-pass from David Strelec to extend their lead three minutes later.

Slovan pulled a goal back through Nino Marcelli in the 88th minute, and also had Marko Tolic sent off late on, but Milan came through the late drama to move on to nine points.

Slovan, with no points, remain rooted at the bottom of the standings.

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Milan controlled the game in Slovan’s half for the opening 15 minutes without creating any real danger before a quick counter from the home side almost let them in to take the lead.

Barseghyan’s pass sent Strelec through on goal where he rounded the keeper but his finish lacked power allowing Strahinja Pavlovic slide in to block the shot.

The visitors finally made their possession count when a through-ball from Abraham on the halfway line set Pulisic free and he raced into the area before angling his low shot into the far corner.

Milan did not learn their lesson from Slovan’s earlier counter and this time Barseghyan collected the ball in his own half without a single opposition player ahead of him.

Tijjani Reijnders was the closest Milan player, but he could not keep pace and Barseghyan calmly lofted the ball over the oncoming Maigan.

Milan sent on Leao at the start of the second half and the Portuguese winger put them back in front after Youssouf Fofana‘s cross field pass found him ahead of his marker to coolly slip the ball past the keeper.

It looked all over for Slovan when Strelec played a pass back into the box which only went as far as Abraham who had the simple task of turning and sending a shot past the helpless keeper.

The game appeared all over as a contest but Marcelli’s superb strike from outside the area suddenly gave Slovan hope, but all they could muster was Tolic getting a double booking for a foul and dissent, and Milan survived to take all three points.

An own goal by RB Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba gave Inter Milan a 1-0 home win in the Champions League on Tuesday as the Italian champions provisionally moved top of the standings.

Unbeaten Inter top the table with 13 points from five games, one point above second-placed Barcelona – who beat Brest 3-0 – and third-placed Liverpool, who have a game in hand and host defending champions Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Inter dominated the first half and took the lead in the 27th minute after Lukeba turned the ball into Leipzig’s own net following Federico Dimarco‘s free kick.

Dimarco, making his first Champions League start of the season, curled a cross into the box and the ball bounced in off the 21-year-old’s foot.

The hosts looked set for a comfortable victory, however Simone Inzaghi’s men slowed their pace significantly after the break.

Leipzig sensed their chance and grew into the clash, and Inter keeper Yann Sommer pulled off a brilliant save when he denied a low attempt from Antonio Nusa in the 69th minute.

The visitors, who came into the match as one of five teams to have lost their first four games, were without midfielder Xavi Simons, sidelined with an ankle injury.

They were also without defender Lukas Klostermann, who joined an already long absentee list after he was forced off with a calf injury at halftime of their 4-3 defeat at Hoffenheim on Saturday.

Inter, meanwhile, had Hakan Çalhanoglu back after a thigh injury, and Lautaro Martínez started up front alongside Mehdi Taremi after the Argentina striker was sick following his return from international duty.

Inter continued to skate on thin ice as they risked conceding a late equaliser before Henrikh Mkhitaryan thought he had doubled their lead in stoppage time, but the goal was ruled out for a foul by Marcus Thuram.

They managed to avoid a slip-up and maintained their perfect defensive record in the competition as the only team yet to concede a goal at this point of their European campaign.

Inter have won four consecutive games without conceding for the first time in Europe’s top-tier competition, after a run of three in 1966-67 and 2009-10.

They beat Red Star Belgrade 4-0, Young Boys 1-0 and Arsenal 1-0 after opening their campaign with a goalless draw at Manchester City.

Three-times champions Inter, who are third in Serie A and one point off leaders Napoli, next visit German champions Bayer Leverkusen on Dec. 10.

Leipzig, still in search of their first points of the league phase after five consecutive losses in the competition, host Aston Villa the same day.