Inter Milan advanced to the Champions League final after a breathtaking 4-3 extra-time victory over Barcelona, securing a 7-6 aggregate win in one of the most thrilling European semi-finals in recent memory.
The match epitomized the unpredictable nature of knockout football, with Inter building a commanding 2-0 first-half lead through Lautaro Martinez and a Hakan Calhanoglu penalty. Barcelona mounted a remarkable second-half comeback with Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo scoring within six minutes to level the match.
When Raphinha appeared to have won it for Barcelona in the 87th minute, 37-year-old Francesco Acerbi dramatically rescued Inter with his first-ever European goal deep in stoppage time. Substitute Davide Frattesi then became the hero, curling home the winner in the 99th minute of extra time.
“I’m lucky to have finished the game, I screamed so much that I saw everything black,” Frattesi told Sky Sport. “It’s incredible, I don’t know what to say. Tonight the incredible happened.”
Goalkeeper Yann Sommer played a crucial role in Inter’s victory, making several spectacular saves to deny Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, who also struck the post in the dying moments.
The result continues Inter’s impressive European campaign, having already eliminated Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. They will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal in the final in Munich, with PSG holding a 1-0 advantage heading into their second leg.
For Barcelona, the defeat ends their hopes of a treble after winning the Copa del Rey earlier this season. They must now refocus on LaLiga, where they lead rivals Real Madrid by four points with four games remaining, including a crucial El Clásico this Sunday.
“Football has been very cruel to us,” Barcelona defender Eric Garcia reflected. “We were down 2-0 again and the character this team showed was remarkable. We are a team full of young players and this has been a great year. We still have the league to play for.”
