Inter’s first night in the UEFA Women’s Champions League league phase ended with a narrow win and a familiar figure at the heart of it. Spanish centre-back Ivana Andrés was named player of the match as the Italian side beat Häcken 1-0, extending a European breakthrough that began in the qualifying rounds.
Quick facts
- Inter opened their Champions League league-phase campaign with a 1-0 victory over Häcken.
- Malta international Haley Bugeja scored in the fifth minute after an assist from Sheila García.
- Ivana Andrés received the MVP award after anchoring Inter’s defence alongside Milinkovic.
- Both Inter central defenders were rated above 7.7 for their performances.
- Andrés had already scored the decisive penalty against Wolfsburg to send Inter into the competition.
Bugeja’s early finish gave Inter a lead they protected for the remainder of the match. Sheila García, formerly of Real Madrid, supplied the pass for the goal, and the Nerazzurre then relied on the control of Andrés and Milinkovic in central defence to see out a landmark result.
For Andrés, the award was another marker of a swift and influential spell in Italian football. The 32-year-old from Valencia left Real Madrid in the summer of 2024, having served as the club’s first captain, and has quickly become one of David Sassarini’s key players.
Her first Serie A season brought recognition as the division’s best defender, while her performances also helped Inter reach Europe’s leading club competition for the first time. The qualification tie against Wolfsburg was especially defining: Andrés converted the final kick of the shoot-out to secure Inter’s place in the league phase.
Against Häcken, she again delivered when the occasion demanded it. Inter have begun their Champions League journey with three points, and their Spanish World Cup winner remains central to the club’s new continental chapter.
