Inter booked their place in the Champions League final after edging a classic encounter with Barcelona, with Davide Frattesi's strike in extra time proving the difference after the two teams played out another 3-3 draw in 90 minutes
Interisti undoubtedly rose to the occasion on Tuesday night as they ensured Barcelona were greeted by a cacophony of noise in their grand Milanese amphitheatre.
With Barca without their starting full-backs, Robert Lewandowski only fit enough for the bench and their captain recovering rather miraculously from a hamstring strain in six days to start, there was a sense of Inter enjoying a special outing 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.
Inter player ratings (3-5-2)
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.
Barcelona player ratings (4-2-3-1)
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.
Player of the match: Denzel Dumfries (Inter)
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