Inter knock out Barcelona to reach the UCL 2024-25 final
Inter Milan hosted Barcelona in a thrilling second leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinal, drawing massive attention across Milan. After a dramatic 3-3 draw in Spain last week, both sides aimed to deliver another spectacle. Showing composure and resilience, Inter edged past the formidable Spanish side to reach the 2024-25 final.
These two sides played another 3-3 thriller and took the match into extra time. A goal late in the match decided the result of the match. Inter Milan will now play in their second final in the past three seasons.
Dominant first half for the home team
Inter Milan is not known for scoring a lot of goals. They are a team that is strong in defence and relies on counter-attacking football. Inzaghi’s men did the same against Barcelona’s high line in the first leg. This was another chance to get goals against this young side.
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It took them 21 minutes to find space in Barcelona’s defence. Denzel Dumfries was involved in all three goals in the first leg. He added another assist to his name. The Dutchman broke Barcelona’s defensive line and was all clear before passing the ball to Lautaro Martinez. Inter’s captain gave his team an early lead.
Inter Milan were looking more threatening on the counter. Lautaro Martinez was all clear towards Barcelona’s goal around the half-time mark. Pau Cubarsi attempted a tackle that looked clean, but it caught the boot of Martinez. Inter were awarded a penalty after a VAR check. Hakan Calhanoglu doubled the lead, and the home team was in a strong position.
Another second-half performance by Flick’s men
Barcelona’s defence has been a bit leaky since the team has started to dominate the opposition’s defence. They concede cheap goals on occasions, but the attack has maintained a balance. Raphinha has led his side well in the attack. Eric Garcia pulled one goal back in the 54th minute. Six minutes later, Dani Olmo levelled the score to bring his team back into the tie.
The match was heading into extra time, but Barcelona had other plans. In the 87th minute, Raphinha completed an epic comeback to put his team in a strong position. Inter Milan were on the brink of being knocked out. 37-year-old Francesco Acerbi was not letting this opportunity go out of hand. He scored the equaliser in added time to send the match into extra time. Denzel Dumfries got his third assist of the tie.
Inter Milan: Frattesi Rocks
The match went into extra time and a possible penalty shootout. However, the home team had some other plans. Davide Frattesi scored a late winner against Bayern in the previous round. He repeated those heroics by scoring in extra time. The Italian midfielder got to the end of Mehdi Taremi’s cross and scored the winner in the first half of extra time. Inter’s clinical finishing was the biggest reason behind this result. They will either face PSG or Arsenal in the final.
