Inter Milan have secured a place in this year’s Champions League final after edging past Barcelona 4-3 in the second leg of their semi-final clash on Tuesday.
Inter Milan substitute Davide Frattesi scored a dramatic extra-time winner to send his team into the Champions League final, capping off a thrilling 4-3 victory over Barcelona on Tuesday. The goal came after Francesco Acerbi had kept Inter’s hopes alive with a sensational equalizer deep into stoppage time.
Frattesi’s decisive strike sealed a breathtaking 7-6 aggregate triumph in what will be remembered as one of the most exhilarating semifinals in Champions League history. Inter now advance to the final in Munich, where they will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal later this month.
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The match was a game of two halves. Inter dominated the first period, taking control with a counter-attacking goal from Lautaro Martínez in the 21st minute, followed by a Hakan Çalhanoglu penalty just before halftime to make it 2-0.
Barcelona roared back in the second half, with quickfire goals from Eric García and Dani Olmo bringing them level within six minutes. Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer produced a series of crucial saves to keep the tie alive, but Raphinha appeared to win it for the Catalans with a close-range finish in the 87th minute.
With time running out, Inter launched a desperate push for an equalizer. Denzel Dumfries found 37-year-old Acerbi in the box, and the veteran defender hammered in his first-ever European goal in his 20th professional season to send the match to extra time.
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In the 99th minute, Marcus Thuram surged down the right flank and delivered a pinpoint pass into the area. Frattesi calmly controlled the ball before curling it into the bottom corner, sparking wild celebrations among the San Siro faithful.
Yann Sommer produced two outstanding saves to deny teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, helping Inter secure a hard-fought victory. The Italian giants will now aim to lift their fourth Champions League trophy, and their first in 15 years, having last reached the final two years ago, where Manchester City defeated them.
I’m lucky to have finished the game, I screamed so much that I saw everything black, I have to thank the physiotherapists because in recent days I was not well. I dedicate the victory to them.
It’s incredible. I don’t know what to say. Tonight, the incredible happened, Frattesi told Sky Sports.
Barcelona, who were aiming for a treble after clinching the Copa del Rey with an extra-time victory over Real Madrid, will now have to shift their focus to LaLiga. They face their historic rivals once again on Sunday, with Real Madrid sitting second in the table, four points behind.
“Football has been incredibly cruel to us,” Barça defender Eric García told Movistar Plus. “We were trailing 2-0 again, but the character this team displayed was truly admirable.”
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