Inter Milan Stun Barcelona In UCL Semifinal Showdown

 

Inter Milan knocked out Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League semifinal on an aggregate score of 7-6

Inter Milan have secured a 4-3 victory against Barcelona in extra time, advancing to the UEFA Champions League final with a 7-6 aggregate score. 

The first 90 minutes were intense, with Inter Milan striking first through Lautaro Martínez's goal in the 22nd minute. Dumfries' cross met the striker in the box for a tap-in that put Inter in the lead. The Italians doubled the score from a penalty drawn from Curbarsi's tackle on Lautaro. Hakan Calhanoglu converted the spot kick for Inter's second goal.  

Eric Garcia restored Barcelona to the game, leaping to tap in Martin's cross. Following Martin's superb cross from inside the box, Dani Olmo nodded the aerial ball into the net and leveled the scores for Barcelona. 

Raphinha, who was almost anonymous in the first half, was played in by Pedri with a cross-pitch pass. The Brazilian forward forced Sommer's save and rifled home a rebound from inside the box. Inter seized a fast break in injury time from Sommer's long-range goal kick to equalize as Dumfries' low cut cross met Francesco Acerbi inside the six-yard box for a tap-in. 

As the game progressed to extra time, Inter completed the comeback in the 100th minute. Thuram played in Mehdi Taremi from the right, and the Iranian forward in turn played in Frattessi, who curled home a left-footed shot from inside the box.

The scores by which Inter won were the longest aggregate score in the UEFA Champions League semifinal history, tying with Liverpool against Roma (7-6) in 2017/18. It was Inter's first time of eliminating Barcelona in the knockout stages in the club's history. 

Overview 

Unlike the first leg tie, Inter did not allow Barcelona to have the ball for too long in front of the box. They occasionally forced the Spaniards to play by their dictate. Neither Raphinha nor Lamal could get past too frequently as Inter maintained composure in the midfield and at the back. They eventually went away with a two-goal lead in the first half. 

Barcelona did not seem like a side ready to concede. They carefully crafted moments that paved the way to the comeback from deficits to an equalizer. Meanwhile, Inter wanted to keep their earlier lead by being defensive. Barcelona dominated the midfield, exerting pressure on Inter's defense. They turned around the game even though they had been fatigued for much of the second half, and that was by the fresh legs of substitutes like David Frattesi and Medhi Taremi.