Inter, Barcelona fail to score in drab draw

Inter Milan held title-holders Barcelona to a 0-0 draw in their Champions League Group F opener at the San Siro yesterday in a match which failed to live up to pre-match hype.

The game was billed as a clash between Samuel Eto'o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, both playing against the team they left only two months ago, but neither they nor talents such as Lionel Messi and Xavi could break the deadlock in a turgid stalemate.

Perhaps unsurprisingly for such a big match between two European heavyweights so early in the competition it was a cagey affair dominated by defences.

But that suited Inter boss Jose Mourinho.

"It's the beginning of the competition, it's the first match. It's not an easy group, it's no joke," he said. "There are other groups that seem like a joke and one without a single national champion, in ours there are four champions.

"It's a good point against the European champions who at the moment play the best football in Europe.
"I'm happy with the way we played, with the concentration. Defensively the game went well."