Inter Milan have edged Barcelona in one of the all-time great Champions League knockout clashes to advance to the final for the seventh time in their history
The second leg in Milan ended 4-3 to the Italians after extra time, giving them a 7-6 win across the two epic legs full of dramatic moments and wild shifts of momentum. It was the equal most goals scored in a semifinal contest.
Barca had come back from two goals down to salvage a 3-3 draw at home last week, and they did the same in Italy on Wednesday (AEST), conceding twice in the first half and scoring three in the second to be within two minutes of reaching the final.
But Inter found an injury time equaliser through the unlikeliest of sources as 37-year-old centre back Fransesco Acerbi popped up as a fox in the box and made it 3-3.
Barcelona’s starlet Lamine Yamal had a chance to win the game with almost the final kick but having got in behind the defence he toe poked tamely at Yann Sommer, who also brilliantly defied the youngster in extra time as Barca had to chase an equaliser of their own.
The Italians had looked dead and buried after going behind to Raphinha’s 87th minute goal that had seemed to have booked Barca’s passage to the final in Munich. The Acerbi goal gave them belief and they found new legs in the extra period, with replacement Davide Frattesi scoring the fourth after 99 minutes.
Frattesi, who scored the late winner in the quarter-final against Bayern Munich, was overcome after his wild celebrations.
“I was fortunate to see out the game, as I was celebrating so much I was dizzy and nearly had a blackout! I have to thank the physios, because yesterday I had an abdominal strain, so they did incredibly work getting me fit for this match,” Frattesi told Sky Sport Italia.
“It’s just incredible, I don’t know what to say. I thought after the Bayern Munich game I couldn’t repeat that emotion, but it was even more incredible tonight. This is the beauty of football.”
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Barca should have sent the games to penalties, only for veteran striker Robert Lewandowski to head over from close range, while Sommer’s fingertips kept out a Yamal curler. The keeper made 14 saves across the two games and that was the best of them.
“I feel shattered watching it. Goodness knows what those players feel out there,” said England legend Alan Shearer on the Amazon coverage.
“Thank you Inter Milan and thank you Barcelona for providing us with incredible entertainment and two great football matches.
“What we have witnessed has been something very special.”
On Stan Sport, former Socceroo Mark Bosnich hailed the resilience of the Italians.
“Before the first leg, Inter Milan had lost three games on the trot. No one gave them a chance at all. They put in a wonderful performance in that first leg, that really scared Barcelona, and it was a fantastic game. Tonight even, the majority of the people that I spoke to, including myself, thought that Barca could win.
“This is a triumph for the ages in what was an unbelievable game. I feel sorry for Barca, they should have finished it off in the second half, but this really belongs to these [Inter] players, this manager [Simone Inzaghi], and those fans of Inter all around the world, because this was a magnificent triumph.”
Inter will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal in the final.
Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries, outstanding across both games with two goals and three assists, summed up the emotions for the hosts.
“Crazy match, again. Seven goals today. It was incredible, we fought until the end, but very proud of the way we fought today. Overall, very happy that we’re going to the final,” he said.
“I am very happy to help the team. I come back from injury so it was not easy. We have to fight every match for the colours of the club.”
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