COLOGNE – Inter Milan humbled Shakhtar Donetsk with a 5-0 victory in their Europa League semi-final and now face five-time winners Sevilla in the final.

 Inter were utterly dominant in the game and went ahead in the 19^th minute thanks to a goal from Argentinian striker Lautaro Martínez. In the second-half they doubled their lead with a header from Daniele D’Ambrosio before Martínez scored his second ten minutes later. That prompted a late flurry as star Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku bagged two goals in five minutes to give Inter a chance at their first trophy since 2011.

 Shakhtar Donetsk were dismal on the night, gifting Inter the first goal after a poor clearance by their goalkeeper and only mustering one real chance on goal. Meanwhile Inter were clinical and Romelu Lukaku, signed for 74 million pounds last summer, became the first player ever to score in ten consecutive Europa League matches. Lukaku has now scored 33 goals in his 50 appearances this season and looks to be paying back his hefty price tag.

 Antonio Conte, Inter’s manager, has revitalized the club in his first season in Milan, building a squad around players like Lukaku and other former premier league stars, Christian Eriksen, Alexis Sanchez and Ashley Young. Their opponents in Friday’s final, Sevilla, will nonetheless be confident after knocking out Manchester United in the semi and never having lost the competition when they have reached this stage.

 After the game Conte praised his players, saying “It was a perfect game plan, we did well to make a strong squad seem mediocre.” All the games of the tournament are being held behind closed doors in Germany due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The final between Inter and Sevilla will be held in Stadion Köln in Cologne on Friday.

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