Adriano secures tough victory for Inter

Italian champions Inter Milan were made to battle all the way by a spirited Anorthosis Famagusta at the San Siro on Wednesday night before securing a 1-0 Champions League Group B victory.

Brazilian striker Adriano scored the winner late on in the first half to put Inter in control of the group with seven points from three games.

The Cypriots did themselves justice, though, by hanging in to the end and they are still in a position to qualify for the knock-out stages after Panathinaikos and Werder Bremen drew 2-2 in Greece.

It was minnows Anorthosis who fashioned the first notable chance from a free-kick but Inter's stand-in goalkeeper Francesco Toldo parried Traianos Dellas's fierce strike.

Inter were next to create an opening as Adriano played a brilliant ball over the top of a static defence for compatriot Mancini but the Brazilian failed to bring the ball under control

Had it been Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the end of the pass, the outcome might have been a bulging net.

On 10 minutes Anorthosis's Albanian goalkeeper Arian Beqaj had to be alert to keep out a precise shot from Ghana midfielder Sulley Muntari with his legs after good Inter build-up play.

Five minutes later and Inter played some great one-touch football between Esteban Cambiasso and Dejan Stankovic before Adriano blazed his shot wide.

But a minute from the break the Brazilian got the goal Inter deserved. Ibrahimovic's crossfield ball was expertly taken down by full-back Maicon who turned inside and lifted a cross onto his compatriot's head for a simple goal from six yards.

However, the visitors almost levelled straight after the break as Nicos Katsavakis reached a deep free-kick from Dellas but couldn't keep his close range header down.

The action was soon taking place back down the other end and Beqaj saved the Cypriots by diving out to pick Ibrahimovic's cross off Adriano's boot.

The big Swede should have settled the match on 68 minutes as he scampered onto a perfectly weighted through ball from his strike partner but he puzzlingly shot from the left with the outside of his right boot and sent his effort well wide.

Anorthosis remained competitive and Toldo came out confidently to punch clear a high ball as substitute striker Hawar Mulla Mohammed of Iraq challenged.

Substitute forward Julio Cruz almost snatched a second for Inter a minute from time but his skimming low shot sailed just past the post.