Inter Milan mounted a dramatic late comeback to defeat Barcelona 4–3 in extra time at San Siro, securing their place in the Champions League final for the second time in three seasons.
Just six days after a gripping 3–3 draw in Barcelona, the two sides delivered another classic encounter. Inter appeared to be heading for defeat three minutes into stoppage time, but defender Francesco Acerbi, pushed forward as an emergency striker, steered in Denzel Dumfries’ cross to level the match. Substitute Davide Frattesi then sealed the win in the 99th minute, guiding home a pass from fellow substitute Mehdi Taremi, sending the home crowd into raptures.
Inter had taken a comfortable lead before the break through Lautaro Martinez’s opener and a Hakan Calhanoglu penalty. However, Barcelona, who had also come from behind in the first leg, fought back with goals from Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo to draw level and turn the momentum in their favour.
Raphinha’s close-range strike three minutes from time, after Yann Sommer parried his initial shot, put Barcelona ahead in the tie for the first time. But Inter refused to yield, responding with two dramatic goals in extra time to clinch a 7–6 aggregate victory — matching the record for most goals in a Champions League semi-final.
Inter’s strategy involved tightly marking 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, who was kept largely quiet in the first half. Yamal managed only a tame shot at Sommer, while Marcus Thuram fired wide in a cagey opening.
The breakthrough came when Dumfries played in Nicolo Barella, whose lofted ball over Inigo Martinez led to a shot saved by Wojciech Szczesny. Moments later, Dimarco intercepted possession to find Dumfries again, whose low pass was turned in by Martinez for the opener.
VAR reviewed a potential penalty for handball against Acerbi, but play resumed without incident as Barcelona grew frustrated with missed chances by Olmo and Yamal. Barella went close with a volley from distance, and Calhanoglu missed narrowly before Inter doubled their lead before the interval.
Pau Cubarsi’s sliding challenge on Martinez initially looked clean, but after a VAR review, referee Szymon Marciniak awarded a penalty, which Calhanoglu converted calmly.
Acerbi had a header disallowed for offside early in the second half, and Barcelona pulled one back when Eric Garcia volleyed in Gerard Martin’s cross. The match opened up, with Barella forcing a fine save from Szczesny and Garcia spurning a golden chance on the counter.
Olmo brought Barcelona level on the hour mark with a thumping header from another Martin cross. Mkhitaryan’s foul on Yamal briefly won Barcelona a penalty, but VAR determined the contact occurred outside the area.
Raphinha’s late goal seemed to seal it for Barcelona, and Yamal nearly added another when he struck the post. But Acerbi’s equaliser sent the game into extra time, where Frattesi’s finish proved decisive.
Sommer’s two late saves from Yamal preserved the victory, as Inter set up a final showdown in Munich against either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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