Inter secured their spot in the Champions League final by narrowly defeating Barcelona. Davide Frattesi’s goal in extra time was decisive after a thrilling 3-3 draw during regular time.
The Inter fans created an electrifying atmosphere on Tuesday night in Milan, providing a warm welcome to Barcelona with a thunderous reception.
Barcelona faced challenges with their squad as they were missing their first-choice full-backs. Additionally, Robert Lewandowski was only healthy enough for a substitute appearance, and their captain remarkably started despite recovering from a hamstring injury within six days. This set the stage for a memorable night for Inter at San Siro.
There were no early fireworks like last week, but Inter were measured early. They kept their high-powered opponents at bay while posing a distinct threat every time they broke Barcelona’s first line of pressure.
Their control was rewarded by Lautaro Martinez netting the opener midway through the first half, and although the visitors mustered a response in the aftermath, Inter remained on top and doubled their advantage to cap off what had been a 45-minute exhibition from Simone Inzaghi’s side. Hakan Calhanoglu scored from penalty spot after Pau Cubarsi’s challenge on Lautaro was deemed a foul by the VAR.
Inter entered the break in total command, but Barca required just 15 second-half minutes to restore parity. Gerard Martin’s evolution into a left-footed (Spanish and taller) Trent Alexander-Arnold proved key, as he teed up Eric Garcia to halve the deficit before crossing superbly for Dani Olmo to equalise.
The visitors’ second-half superiority looked to have been rewarded by Raphinha’s late strike which looked set to thrst Flick’s men to Munich, but Inter, who’d offered nothing since Calhanoglu’s penalty, somehow stayed alive through Francesco Acerbi’s stoppage-time equaliser.
Momentum was thus with the hosts again, and they seized upon their newfound energy at the start of extra time as Frattesi netted the seventh goal of an incredible second leg. Finally, there was no subsequent drama, breaking Barca hearts as Inter advanced into their second final in three years.
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
|
Player |
Rating |
|---|---|
|
GK: Yann Sommer |
8.1/10 |
|
CB: Yann Bisseck |
6.3/10 |
|
CB: Francesco Acerbi |
7.7/10 |
|
CB: Alessandro Bastoni |
6.3/10 |
|
RWB: Denzel Dumfries |
8.9/10 |
|
CM: Nicolo Barella |
7.0/10 |
|
CM: Hakan Calhanoglu |
7.9/10 |
|
CM: Henrikh Mkhitaryan |
7.5/10 |
|
LWB: Federico Dimarco |
7.0/10 |
|
ST: Lautaro Martinez |
8.0/10 |
|
ST: Marcus Thuram |
7.1/10 |
|
SUB: Carlos Augusto (55′ for Dimarco) |
6.7/10 |
|
SUB: Matteo Darmian (71′ for Bisseck) |
6.2/10 |
|
SUB: Mehdi Taremi (71′ for Lautaro) |
7.8/10 |
|
SUB: Davide Frattesi (81′ for Calhanoglu) |
7.5/10 |
|
SUB: Piotr Zielinski (81′ for Mkhitaryan) |
6.3/10 |
|
SUB: Stefan de Vrij (108′ for Dumfries) |
6.5/10 |
Subs not used: Josep Martinez (GK), Raffaele Di Gennaro (GK), Gabriele Re Cecconi, Kristjan Asllani, Nicola Zalewski, Marko Arnautovic.
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
|
Player |
Rating |
|---|---|
|
GK: Wojciech Szczesny |
6.5/10 |
|
RB: Eric Garcia |
8.1/10 |
|
CB: Pau Cubarsi |
5.7/10 |
|
CB: Inigo Martinez |
6.6/10 |
|
LB: Gerard Martin |
8.3/10 |
|
DM: Frenkie de Jong |
6.2/10 |
|
DM: Pedri |
7.8/10 |
|
RW: Lamine Yamal |
8.8/10 |
|
AM: Dani Olmo |
8.1/10 |
|
LW: Raphinha |
8.0/10 |
|
ST: Ferran Torres |
5.9/10 |
|
SUB: Ronald Araujo (75′ for Martinez) |
6.3/10 |
|
SUB: Fermin Lopez (82′ for Olmo) |
6.3/10 |
|
SUB: Robert Lewandowski (90′ for Ferran) |
6.4/10 |
|
SUB: Hector Fort (98′ for Garcia) |
6.7/10 |
|
SUB: Gavi (106′ for Cubarsi) |
5.9/10 |
|
SUB: Pau Victor (106′ for Pedri) |
5.9/10 |
Subs not used: Ander Astralaga (GK), Inaki Pena (GK), Pablo Torre, Ansu Fati, Andreas Christensen, Landry Farre, Noah Darvich.
