| Minute | Text commentary |
| 46' | Half time. Inter lead Chelsea 1-0, thanks to Diego Milito's early strike. |
| 46' | Kalou goes down in the box after a challenge by Samuel and he cries penalty. Once again, Gonzalez is unconvinced. |
| 45' | One minute of stoppage time. |
| 44' | Wesley Sneijder's 30-yard free kick flies high and wide. |
| 41' | Lampard has a corner cleared by Stankovic but the England midfielder regains possession and gets a cross in from the right. Zanetti blocks. |
| 38' | Inter hit back. Maicon plays a fast one-two with Milito but his first touch from the return pass is too long and Cech races out to gather. |
| 37' | Another chance for Chelsea as Kalou's looping header from Drogba's cross goes over JC's bar. |
| 36' | Milito controls a long ball into the area and tries to turn Carvalho but there's no way past the Portuguese defender. |
| 34' | Amazing chance for Eto'o. Sneidjer sends in a low cross from the left but Samu uncharacteristically miscues just outside the six-yard box. What a let-off for Chelsea. |
| 33' | Free kick to Inter out on the left wing. Sneijder's inswinger is punched away by Petr Cech. |
| 32' | Lampard goes for goal from 30 yards but his effort is woeful. Goal kick. |
| 31' | Drogba gets above Maicon at the back post to head Ivanovic's right-wing cross on target. Easy save for Julio Cesar though. |
| 30' | Mikel Obi shoots straight at Julio Cesar from 25 yards. |
| 26' | Ballack floats into the area for Kalou but the German's ball sails over the head of his team-mate. |
| 26' | Cross by Drogba from the right edge of our box. Samuel heads away. |
| 24' | Ballack serves Drogba on the edge of the box. The Ivorian's volley on the turn is wide. |
| 23' | Another yellow card as Kalou is booked for a clattering foul on Wesley Sneijder. |
| 22' | Milito goes on a surging run down the left and gets into the box before going down under a challenge from Carvalho. Gonzalez isn't convinced and he books the Argentine for protesting after having his penalty claim turned down. |
| 21' | Drogba overhits his pass into space on the right for the onrushing Ivanovic after combining with Ballack. |
| 19' | Drogba fires wide of Julio Cesar's right-hand post from inside the area. |
| 18' | Ballack unleashes a terrific shot from 25 yards. Superb block by Julio Cesar. |
| 15' | Free kick to Chelsea about 30 yards from goal after a foul by Stankovic. And a scare for Inter - Didier Drogba's effort bounces back off the crossbar. |
| 14' | Back under the Curva Nord, Milito spots Eto'o at the far post and plays a high left-wing cross to his team-mate. The angle is too tight though and the Cameroonian's shot is saved by Cech. |
| 12' | Another chance for the Blues as Salomon Kalou turns Samuel and sends a right-footed shot straight at Julio Cesar from 20 yards. |
| 11' | Chelsea on the attack. Nicolas Anelka gets to the left angle of our box and fires a low shot to the right of Julio Cesar. Goal kick. |
| 11' | Milito is flagged offside as he runs to meet Thiago Motta's long ball upfield. |
| 9' | Thiago Motta is booked for a feet high foul on Ballack. |
| 3' | GOOOAAALLLL!!!! Thiago Motta plays to Eto'o who serves Diego Milito in the area and El Principe turns Terry and picks his spot before tucking past Cech. What a start, and what a brilliant dummy by Sneijder who let Eto'o's ball roll through to Milito! INTER 1-0 CHELSEA. |
| 1' | Good evening and welcome to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, where Inter are set to take on Chelsea (and, according to some, the rest of Italy) in the first leg of the Champions League round of sixteen. Over 78,000 tickets have been sold for tonight's eagerly-awaited clash, generating record gate receipts for the club. The previous record was set last season when we hosted Manchester United. |
| 1' | Inter kick off. FORZA NERAZZURRI! |
| 1' | The players come back out, the Champions League anthem starts, and the Curva Nord displays a spectacular choreography with the words FORZA RAGAZZI. |
| 1' | A huge roar of disapproval now as news comes through that AC Milan have snatched a late winner against Fiorentina in Florence, cutting our Serie A lead to four points. |
| 1' | Out come the Blues for the warm-up. They are quickly followed by the Nerazzurri and the stadium erupts, drowning out the Chelsea fans who are up in the third tier. |
| 1' | Here's the cast: <br>Inter: 12 Julio Cesar; 13 Maicon, 6 Lucio, 25 Samuel, 4 Zanetti; 5 Stankovic, 19 Cambiasso, 8 Thiago Motta; 10 Sneijder; 9 Eto'o, 22 Milito.<br>Subs: 1 Toldo, 2 Cordoba, 7 Quaresma, 11 Muntari, 17 Mariga, 27 Pandev, 45 Balotelli.<br>Chelsea: 1 Cech; 2 Ivanovic, 6 Carvalho, 26 Terry, 15 Malouda; 13 Ballack, 12 Mikel, 8 Lampard; 39 Anelka, 21 Kalou; 11 Drogba. Subs: 40 Hilario, 10 J.Cole, 23 Sturridge, 33 Alex, 35 Belletti, 43 Bruma, 45 Borini. |
| 1' | Inter's Champions League record with tonight's referee Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez is three wins and a defeat. The Spanish official took charge of an epic encounter involving teams from Italy and England - that 2004/05 final in Istanbul when Liverpool beat AC Milan on penalties after coming back from 3-0 down. |
| 1' | Our victory over Rubin Kazan in Matchday 6 of the group stages marked the start of a 14-game unbeaten run. We have since consolidated our lead at the top of the Serie A table and reached the Coppa Italia semi-finals. Chelsea, meanwhile, have lost once in their last 16 games since Matchday 6. |
| 1' | We met Chelsea at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena in the pre-season World Football Challenge tournament last summer, losing 2-0, but tonight is our first ever competitive meeting with the Blues. |
| Minute | Text commentary |
| 48' | Full time. Inter beat Chelsea 2-1. The return leg at Stamford Bridge will take place on Tuesday 16 March. |
| 47' | The visitors come straight back and Ballack slides the ball wide at the far post. |
| 47' | Pandev is dispossessed by Carvalho after a nice crossfield ball from Balotelli as the Nerazzurri hit Chelsea on the break. |
| 45' | Three minutes of added time. |
| 43' | Mikel Obi blazes over from 20 yards. |
| 39' | Sulley Muntari comes on for Dejan Stankovic. |
| 37' | Lampard turns Balotelli and looks for Ivanovic with a cross from the opposite flank. Zanetti intercepts and heads to safety. |
| 37' | Ivanovic whips in a dangerous cross from the right. Magnificent tipped save from Julio Cesar. |
| 33' | Carlo Ancelotti brings on Daniel Sturridge for Salomon Kalou. |
| 31' | Maicon's rising drive is over Hilario's bar and into the Curva Sud. |
| 28' | Malouda gets in a cross from the left. Zanetti takes no chances and heads behind for a corner at the back post. |
| 25' | Brilliant piece of skill by Balotelli. The young Italian turns Lampard on the right and whips in a cross for Cambiasso, whose shot is blocked. |
| 23' | Goran Pandev replaces Eto'o as Mourinho makes his second change. |
| 20' | Massive save from Julio Cesar. Anelka receives from Drogba and muscles his way through before crossing low to Lampard, who is denied by the Brazilian keeper. |
| 19' | Eto'o's low drive from the left angle of the Chelsea box is a few yards wide of Hilario's right-hand post. |
| 17' | Cech will play no further part in the game. On comes Henrique Hilario. |
| 15' | Play interrupted as Cech requires medical attention. |
| 15' | Cech saves Maicon's floated cross-shot from the right wing. |
| 13' | Substitution numbe one for Inter. Mario Balotelli replaces Thiago Motta. |
| 10' | GOAL!!!!! Esteban Cambiasso rifles a low shot past Cech from 20 yards after seeing his first shot blocked by Carvalho, and we're back in front at the Giuseppe Meazza! INTER 2-1 CHELSEA. |
| 9' | Malouda's cross from the left is easily saved by Julio Cesar. |
| 6' | GOAL. Ivanovic goes a strong run down the middle and lays off to Kalou who finds the bottom right corner with a low shot from 20 yards. INTER 1-1 CHELSEA. |
| 2' | Drogba gets on the end of Malouda's left-wing cross and heads wide of Julio Cesar's left-hand post. |
| 1' | We're back under way at the Meazza as Chelsea kick off the second half. |
| 1' | Thiago Motta sends a lofted ball into the Chelsea area for Milito but Cech is quick off his line. |