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Silva lines up Valencia with late equaliser

Uefa Champions League: Inter Milan 2 - Valencia 2   Inter and Valencia shared four goals in a cracking game at the Giuseppe …

Thu Feb 22 2007 - 00:00

Uefa Champions League: Inter Milan 2 - Valencia 2  Inter and Valencia shared four goals in a cracking game at the Giuseppe Meazza, giving the advantage to the Spanish side in the second leg.

Inter dominated the first half and went into the interval one up thanks to Esteban Cambiasso's close range header, but Valencia approached the second half extremely positively and twice got back on level terms with superb efforts from long range, courtesy of Davids Villa and Silva.

Villa's was as good a free kick as the Champions League will see all season, while Silva's was a rocket left foot volley from 20 yards just four minutes from time. In between these strikes Maicon restored Inter's lead.

Cambiasso's goal came just before the half hour mark after Santiago Canizares had scooped away Zlatan Ibrahimovic's smart volley from Luis Figo's free kick.

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Inter looked to be cruising as they took their foot off the gas at the start of the second half before David Villa made them pay with an exquisite free kick from 30 yards. His right-footed curling effort was unstoppable.

Inter took the lead once more through Maicon 14 minutes from time after a slick move. The right back exchanged passes with Ibrahimovic on the right flank and the Brazilian defender tucked the ball past Canizares.

It seemed like Inter would hold on for the win before David Silva crashed home a volley after a corner came back to him on the edge of the area.

This result gives the advantage to Valencia ahead of the second leg at the Mestalla, as Inter could not convert their supreme Serie A form into Champions League football.

INTER MILAN: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Cordoba, Materazzi, Burdisso, Stankovic, Cambiasso (Dacourt 31), Figo (Solari 89), Zanetti, Crespo (Cruz 68), Ibrahimovic. Subs not used: Toldo, Maxwell, Adriano, Samuel. Booked: Burdisso, Zanetti.

VALENCIA: Canizares, Miguel, Ayala, Albiol, Moretti, Angulo (Joaquin 83), Marchena, Albelda, Silva (Jorge Lopez 90), Morientes (Hugo Viana 77), Villa. Subs not used: Butelle, Navarro, Curro Torres, Pallardo. Booked: Albelda, Marchena.

Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden).