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Inter went from 1-0 down at Dynamo Kiev and bottom of the group to 2-1 winners and leaders in the final four minutes! Diego Milito and Wesley Sneijder completed the extraordinary comeback.
The Nerazzurri were still looking for their first win of the Champions League campaign and propping up the extremely tight Group F. Dynamo grabbed a 2-2 draw at San Siro a fortnight ago, but the 0-0 draw between Rubin Kazan and Barcelona earlier tonight meant a win for either side would put them top.
Wesley Sneijder, Diego Milito and Cristian Chivu recovered from injury to start, but the Ukrainians were without Bad El Kaddouri, Olexandr Shovkovskiy, Pape Diakhate and Andriy Nesmachniy. Javier Zanetti equalled Roy Keane's total of 59 Champions League starts as captain, but is still behind all-time record holder Paolo Maldini's 77.
Sneijder had the first chance after 100 seconds, as his angled drive from the outside edge of the box flashed inches past the far top corner. Samuel Eto'o, marking his 50th Champions League appearance, provided the assist.
Walter Samuel charged down an Andriy Yarmolenko effort and Eto'o fired over from an impossible angle.
Dynamo Kiev took the lead with a spectacular goal from Shevchenko! It was his 15th against Inter, as from 20 metres he chested down and smacked a half-volley that took a deflection off Esteban Cambiasso to loop over a helpless Julio Cesar. Sheva hadn't scored in the Champions League since September 18 2007, his first for Dynamo in this competition for 10 years.
Diego Milito exchanged quick passes with Eto'o in the D, but the Argentine wasted it by firing straight at the goalkeeper. Dynamo focused on the counter and Sheva flashed an angled drive wide. Lucio was booked in first half stoppages for a bodycheck on Milevskiy.
Mario Balotelli has been suffering from flu recently, but he came on for the second half along with Thiago Motta for Chivu and Cambiasso, pushing Javier Zanetti into the back four.
Dejan Stankovic tested Bogush from distance, then Samuel's diving header from a Sneijder free kick whistled wide from seven yards.
However, Dynamo were unlucky not to make it 2-0 when a Stankovic error allowed Ninkovic to skim the base of the near post with his chest and volley.
Milito ran on to an Eto'o ball over hte top and his rising strike was held at the near post. From the corner Inter incredibly hit the base of the upright of an open goal! Sneijder's corner was flicked on by Samuel to leave Bogush stranded, but Eto'o could only steer the header on to the woodwork from a yard.
Khacheridi risked an own goal to stop Douglas Maicon's cross finding Milito. The Nerazzurri hit the woodwork for the second time in four minutes, as Samuel nodded Sneijder's free kick on to the post with the aid of a fingertip save.
Milito sprung the offside trap and Bogush had to run out of his box to head it clear.
On 69 minutes Balotelli thought he simply had to score when he caught the defence unawares to run on to an Eto'o through ball and go one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but prodded it wide of the open goal with the outside of his foot!
Eto'o horribly wasted this time, as a Sneijder ball over the top allowed him to get betwen two defenders, but he ballooned over from 10 yards.
Shevchenko's determined run set up Yarmolenko, whose shot was charged down. Inter switched to a three-man defence with Sulley Ali Muntari replacing Samuel.
The Nerazzurri finally got back on level terms with four minutes to go. Milito gathered from Sneijder and scuffed his shot, but it took a deflection off Magrao's foot to send Bogush the wrong way.
Incredibly, Inter turned the game around completely! Bogush was at fault, as he allowed a Muntari snapshot to squirm under his body, managed to parry Milito's follow-up, but could do nothing on Sneijder from a yard! It is Inter's first Champions League win since October 22, 2008.
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