Alassane Plea(R) of Borussia Moenchengladbach vies with Marcelo Brozovic of FC Inter during the UEFA Champions League Group B football match between Borussia Moenchangladbach and FC Inter in Moenchangladbach, Germany, Dec. 1, 2020. (Xinhua)
BERLIN, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Last-placed Inter Milan kept their qualification chances alive after beating UEFA Champions League Group B front-runners Borussia Monchengladbach 3-2 thanks to Romelu Lukaku's brace on Tuesday.
Monchengladbach assumed control on home soil from the start but it was the visitors from Milan who broke the deadlock, as Lautaro Martinez rattled the side netting in the sixth minute before Matteo Darmian had enough time and space to nutmeg goalkeeper Yann Sommer in the 17th minute.
The Foals were shocked and needed 31 minutes to produce their first clear-cut opportunity when Lars Stindl chanced it with a long-range free-kick.
Monchengladbach grew into the game as Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic had to be on guard to deny Stefan Lainer's strike and Stindl's header moments later.
However, Handanovic was helpless in the dying seconds of the first half as Valentino Lazaro's pinpoint free-kick allowed Alassane Plea to nod home the equalizer.
Monchengladbach grabbed a better start to the second half and missed the chance to take the lead when Marcus Thuram headed wide from a promising position in the 51st minute.
Ten minutes later, Inter almost restored their lead but Martinez curled the ball just wide.
The visitors' efforts eventually paid off in the 64th minute when Lukaku eluded Monchengladbach's defense before unleashing a well-placed shot into the far corner.
The Belgium international wasn't done with the scoring and wrapped up his brace nine minutes later after collecting Achraf Hakimi's square pass and tapping home.
Monchengladbach responded well and reduced the arrears out of the blue with Plea's second goal following a counterattack on 75 minutes.
The hosts thought they had leveled the scores in the closing stages but Plea's strike was ruled offside in the 83rd minute.
With the result, Monchengladbach missed its chance to book a berth for the knockout stages but still they lead Group B with 8 points followed by Shakhtar Donetsk (7 points), Real Madrid (7 points) and Inter Milan (6 points). All four teams still have the chance to qualify for the next round. Enditem
