If the 3:3 draw in the first match of Milan's "Inter" in Barcelona last week was one of the matches of the season, then the return match in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League was a game of the century, dpa reports, writes UNN.
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More vicissitudes could not be imagined. The host "Inter" was leading 2-0 and seemed to reach the final in Munich on May 31 against "Paris Saint-Germain" or "Arsenal".
But "Barcelona" had other ideas, and they went ahead again with a score of 3:2 in the second half, and Rafinha seemed to score the winning goal.
But Francesco Acerbi, a 37-year-old defender, thought otherwise. Finding himself in the position of a central striker in added time, he finished the game like an experienced striker to get extra time.
Coming on as a substitute, Davide Frattesi, who helped knock out Bayern Munich in the last round, repeated this trick with an extremely calm finish, sending San Siro into raptures. Several saves by Yann Sommer took the Italians beyond the limit.
The Catalan newspaper El Mundo Deportivo agreed with the Italian publications Gazzetta dello Sport and La Stampa, which called the game "epic", while even impartial media such as the British BBC stated that it was an "all time classic".
It was the clash of styles that made the game even more exciting: "Barcelona" showed the cunning of Lamine Yamal and Frenkie de Jong, while the stubborn "Inter" needed real courage to get back on the field after 2:0 turned into 2:3, the publication points out.
"First of all, compliments to Barcelona. We faced a very strong team and we needed a super game from Inter," coach Simone Inzaghi, whose team lost to Manchester City in the 2023 final, told reporters.
"My boys showed a colossal game to reach the final, and I am very proud of that. They gave it their all," he noted.
"Inter" got a well-deserved day off, given the huge amount of running they had to do, the publication points out. They somehow need to find new strength, as they have to defend the Serie A title before the Champions League final. "Napoli" broke away in the race for the Scudetto, but "Inter" will have to play games with "Torino", "Lazio" and "Como" to try to make the season even better.
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Inter last won the Champions Cup in 2010 under Jose Mourinho, when they also defeated Barca in a thrilling semi-final.