Inter Milan crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday after being held 1-1 by PSV Eindhoven at the San Siro as Group B rivals Tottenham Hotspur gained a point against Barcelona.
The Serie A side needed to better Spurs' result at the Camp Nou in order to overtake the Premier League outfit and snatch a place in the knockout rounds.
Luciano Spalletti's side thought they had done enough in the 73rd minute when captain Mauro Icardi marked his 200th game for the club by equalising Hirving Lozano's 13th-minute opener, with Spurs a goal down in Catalonia.
However, Lucas Moura levelled at 1-1 for Tottenham, enabling his team to advance to the last 16 thanks to the away goal they scored in their 2-1 defeat at the San Siro. Inter lost 1-0 at Tottenham last time out, meaning Spurs go through in second place with a superior head-to-head record.
"We got nervous, lost too many balls, created disorder at the tactical level and tension set in," said Inter coach Luciano Spalletti of the former three-time winners.
"We had the match we needed but didn't capitalise on the chances we had.
"As the anxiety grows, you lose sight of how to control the game."
"How do you hide the result of your opponents? The public cheer."
- Painful end to Inter return -
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