Inter, Barcelona And A Champions League Epic
Football. Bloody football.
By Patric Ridge
One of the all-time great matches. One of the all-time great Champions League ties.
Inter are into the Champions League final; they beat Barcelona 4-3 at San Siro on Tuesday to clinch a 7-6 aggregate victory. Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal await in Munich on May 31st.
So many players stood out. So many had their moments. So many deserve a share of the praise for a tie that reminded everyone of what this tournament can deliver.
Yann Sommer — some huge saves, in both legs. The last came when he sprang to his right, just getting a fingertip on Lamine Yamal’s curling attempt deep in extra time, prodding it around the left-hand post. He played is part in Inter’s equaliser, too, and was named Player of the Match by UEFA in the second leg.
Stefan de Vrij — a vital clearance, in the 121st minute, as he hooked Fermin Lopez’s header out of danger and won a free-kick off Ronald Araujo. He won’t grab the headlines, but it was an intervention that might just have prevented Barca doing so.
Francesco Acerbi — at 37, a first Champions League goal, brilliantly turned home deep in second-half stoppage time to force the extra 30 minutes. A veteran centre-back, a cancer survivor, scoring one of the potentially biggest goals in Inter’s history.
Denzel Dumfries — quite how a wing-back can prove so influential in all areas of the pitch is testament to just how good Dumfries was across this tie. Two goals and an assist in the first leg, and then he teed up Lautaro Martinez to open the scoring on Wednesday. His biggest moment, though, came as he shrugged his marker off the ball and then drilled it over for Acerbi to force extra time. According to Opta, Dumfries is the third player to be involved in five goals in a Champions League semi-final tie, after Alessandro Del Piero (1997-98 — six) and Roberto Firmino (2017-18 — five).
Lamne Yamal — the spellbinding dribbles, the wizardry on the touchline, that goal in the first leg. The teenage sensation almost sealed it when he struck the base of the upright just before Acerbi equalised; he nearly dragged Barca level in extra time, but Sommer had other ideas. Yamal will win the Champions League one day, but it was not to be this time around.
Raphinha — he thought he had won it. A superb, instinctive finish with his weaker right foot, taking him to 21 goal contributions in the Champions League this season, matching the previous record set by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013-14. The Brazilian will have to wait until next season to try and better it, though.
Pedri — so smooth in possession, everything he does is measured, controlled and precise. The constant scanning, the slick passing, and the dogged off-the-ball work to go with it, too. A pleasure to watch.
Gerard Martin — he was muscled off the ball by Dumfries in the build-up to Acerbi’s equaliser, but before that had supplied the brilliant crosses from which Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo dragged Barca from 2-0 down to all square at 2-2.
Lautaro Martinez — strapped up, walking wounded; Martinez was still able to wield a huge influence on the second leg, putting Inter ahead before he won the penalty, which Hakan Calhanoglu converted. Inter’s captain, their talisman, was off the pitch when the late drama took over, only able to watch on, but his team-mates got the job done.
Marcus Thuram — while Martinez could not last the course, Thuram more than made up for his strike partner’s struggles. Supported ably by substitute Mehdi Taremi, Thuram somehow found the energy to keep on going right until the end, and yet still had the presence of mind and strength to tee up the winning goal.
Robert Lewandowski — Barca’s evergreen number nine was only able to come on for the final few minutes of regulation time in the second leg, as Hansi Flick looked to see out the victory. As it was, Lewandowski’s task then became a salvation job in the extra 30 minutes, but his sights were off and he looked leggy and unfit, having just returned from injury. A golden chance was spurned when the Pole headed over the crossbar with the goal gaping.
Hansi Flick — it says a lot about the job that the German has done in turning Barca into a free-flowing, fearsome attacking machine that even though the Blaugrana only led for around six minutes of the tie as a whole, they always somehow felt like they would be the ones to find a way. Their treble hopes are over, but Flick has gone some way to restoring his reputation after that poor stint in charge of the German national team. Now, though, they have to pick themselves up ahead of a LaLiga title-deciding Clasico on Sunday.
Simone Inzaghi — drenched to the bone, suited, no coat, stalking the touchline, kicking every ball, dragging his team through. Twice in the space of three years, he has taken Inter to the final of Europe’s elite club competition. Now, he’ll get another shot at glory. There could still be a treble on the cards. He doesn’t get spoken about enough as one of the best coaches around. Maybe now, he will.
Davide Frattesi — last, but not least, it’s the matchwinner himself. Frattesi was Inter’s hero from the bench, his calm, 99th-minute finish making way for a wild celebration as he quite literally scaled the San Siro wall to celebrate with the rapturous Inter fans. The pictures of that moment will speak more than words ever could. A fittingly chaotic finale to a tie for the ages.
