Inter through after dominating Rubin in Champions League

Inter eased into the Champions League knock-out rounds with a dominant 2-0 victory over Rubin Kazan in Group F at the San Siro on Wednesday to possibly save coach Jose Mourinho’s job.

Rumours before the game suggested the Portuguese would be out at the end of the season if Inter failed to progress but in the end there was little to worry about as goals from Samuel Eto’o and Mario Balotelli ensured a comfortable night.

And although they were soundly out-played here, Rubin could be well proud of their first endeavour in Europe’s premier club competition that yielded a win in the Camp Nou.

Mourinho demonstrated his intent right from the start by picking an attacking line-up with three forwards and playmaker Wesley Sneijder in midfield.

They were soon on the attack as Balotelli made some space on eight minutes but shot straight at goalkeeper Sergei Ryzhikov.

Rubin had shown their threat on the counter in Barcelona from where they came away with a 2-1 win and a defence splitting pass on 18 minutes played in Turk Gokdeniz Karadeniz in the inside left channel but Julio Cesar got down well to keep out his near post shot.

The hosts went ahead on the half hour as captain Javier Zanetti brilliantly battled past two defenders on the left and although he lost the ball at the end, a defender’s foot played it to Balotelli whose backheel found Eto’o eight yards out and the Cameroon forward rifled home.

The evergreen and adaptable 36-year-old Zanetti, playing left back here having started at right-back on Saturday and in midfield for most of the season, surged forward again on 43 minutes before Sneijder thumped a long range effort just over.

And in stoppage time right-back Maicon brought a one-handed save out of Ryzhikov as Inter finished the first half in the ascendancy.

Rubin came out in positive fashion after the break and Karadeniz fired a shot just over the bar from a half-cleared corner.

And from another corner the unmarked Christian Noboa somehow failed to even hit the target from 10 yards out.

However, Inter soon wrested back control of the game and substitute Esteban Cambiasso, on for the injured Dejan Stankovic, tested Ryzhikov with a curling left-footer while Balotelli twice fired off target from good positions.

But Kazan were straight back on the attack and Alejandro Dominguez found acres of space on the left before Julio Cesar beat out his fierce effort on 62 minutes.

Yet just a minute later Balotelli all but sealed Inter’s passage into the last 16 with an absolute screamer of a free-kick from almost 30 yards.

Moments later Balotelli almost slid home Diego Milito’s cross at the far post as Inter found their swagger before Sneijder beat Ryzhikov but not the post on 73 minutes while the goalkeeper saved an Eto’o free-kick in injury time.