Barcelona, Inter bless us with Champions League classic as Yamal, Dumfries, Sommer all shine
Inter are through to the Champions League final after 210 minutes of utter madness against Barcelona. Where are we supposed to begin?
We are still catching our breath as for the second week running, Lamine Yamal’s ability to glide through challenges with that Lionel Messi-esque balance and poise was on full display, nutmegging and skinning anyone brave enough to dive in – even under the constant pressure of Federico Dimarco and friends.
And once again, Denzel Dumfries was Inter’s most potent weapon. His ruthlessness, energy, strength and pace down the Inter right could not be contained.
As in the first leg, Dimarco was substituted – presumably as part of a pre-planned change – before the hour mark after another tough evening trying to limit Yamal’s effectiveness. On both nights, his replacement was Carlos Augusto, who somehow managed to struggle even more against a teenage sensation who simply refuses to tire.
Yamal and Dumfries were both making their mark in an entertaining first half, but it was Inter who stormed into a 2-0 lead on the night and 5-3 on aggregate – thanks in large part to Dumfries’ ability to beat Barcelona’s high line and pick the right pass in the final third. He made the smart call to square for Lautaro Martinez to convert into an empty net after Frenkie de Jong had been dispossessed in his own half.
Having scored twice and assisted the other in last week’s 3-3 draw, Dumfries had played a direct role in all four of Inter’s goals across the two legs.
He continued to torment Barcelona down the right, bullying the inexperienced Gerard Martin and holding him off with ease as he drove Inter up the pitch with that familiar blend of strength and purpose that always seems to appear when non-Serie A watchers see him play.
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Dumfries wasn’t involved in the Nerazzurri’s second at San Siro, a penalty coolly dispatched by Hakan Calhanoglu. It initially looked like Pau Cubarsi had made a brilliant last-ditch tackle, but replays showed he got nothing but Lautaro’s foot.
At that point, Inter looked to have one foot in the final. But after the break, it was all Barcelona – clawing back from two goals down again to take control against a knackered and battered Simone Inzaghi XI. Dumfries went from marauding wing-back to an out-and-out full-back, part of a back five camped on the edge of their own box.
It was Eric Garcia who pulled Barcelona back into the tie with a superb volley into the top corner, and after an absolutely outrageous save from Yann Sommer to deny the ex-Manchester City man, Dani Olmo equalised. His header was emphatic, but the cross from Gerard Martin was inch-perfect, curled exquisitely to the back post.
Inter simply couldn’t get a foothold. They were dispossessed at every turn as Hansi Flick’s motivated players suffocated them, and a Barca goal that felt inevitable came in the 88th minute.
Ballon d’Or favourite Raphinha netted what had to be the tie-deciding finish, a rare moment of brilliance on a quiet night for a man with 13 goals in this season’s Champions League.
The Brazilian’s rebounded goal meant that a team tormented for an entire half had to dig deep and alter their tactics to force the tie to extra-time. They obviously did because this has been an all-time Champions League tie.
After a 3-3 draw in the first leg, we were treated to another 3-3 in the second. 37-year-old centre-back Francesco Acerbi – who hadn’t scored in 64 European appearances – decided to pop up as an emergency striker. What a finish. What a spectacle.
Now, a team knocked back in the most dramatic fashion possible had to find something special. Yamal – who had a ridiculous 14 completed take-ons on Tuesday – even had time to miss a huge chance between Acerbi’s 93rd-minute equaliser and full-time after hitting the post on the counter while 3-2 up.
Acerbi did cash in on his continental goal at the perfect moment, but it’s a shame we were watching extra-time instead of a third leg to decide this Champions League semi-final.
The pace refused to drop in extra-time, and it was Davide Frattesi who put Inter ahead for the third time in this wild tie. The Italian has been clutch in the Champions League knockouts, having already scored an 88th-minute winner against Bayern in the quarter-final first leg.
Marcus Thuram kept the ball brilliantly on the right, picked out Mehdi Taremi, whose lay-off to Frattesi was perfect. He didn’t snatch at it; Frattesi composed himself and calmly passed the ball into the bottom corner – Wojciech Szczesny rooted to the spot, utterly helpless.
His opposite number was inspired, keeping Inter ahead during a relentless Barcelona onslaught in the second half of extra-time. The save to deny Garcia in normal time was outstanding – but the one that kept out Yamal’s curling effort? Just… wow.
Barcelona pushed for an equaliser, but Inter held firm to book their place in the Champions League final.
Yamal was exceptional. Dumfries was a force of nature. Acerbi became a hero. Frattesi delivered again. And Yann Sommer got the Nerazzurri over the line.
The only thing missing from this semi-final classic was a penalty shootout. But with 13 goals, drama at every opportunity, every twist and every turn, it hardly needed one.
Inter are Champions League finalists but Barcelona are out and their Treble dreams are dead. The rest of us are left catching our breath after one of the greatest Champions League ties in recent memory.
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