When Inter Milan kicked off its Champions League campaign with a loss at home to Bayern Munich, few would have imagined that eight months later the Nerazzurri would be on the brink of their first final in more than a decade.

But that is the situation Inter is in as it takes a 2-0 lead into the second leg of its semifinal series against AC Milan on Tuesday, having vastly outplayed its city rival in the first match at San Siro last week. Back in September, it seemed unlikely that Inter would even advance past the group stage.