Inter Milan are through to the UEFA Champions League final after beating Barcelona 4-3 in a thrilling match that went into extra time at the San Siro on Tuesday night.
The match, full of drama and comebacks, ended with Inter winning 7-6 on aggregate thanks to a 99th-minute winner by midfielder Davide Frattesi.
Inter were leading 2-0 at half-time, but Barcelona came back strong in the second half with goals from Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo. Raphinha later scored what looked like the winning goal for Barcelona. But Inter’s Francesco Acerbi kept his team alive with a stoppage-time equaliser, sending the match into extra time.
The turning point came when Frattesi fired in the winning goal, sending the home crowd wild and booking Inter’s spot in the final, where they will face either PSG or Arsenal on May 31 in Munich, Germany.
Speaking after the match, Inter’s defender Denzel Dumfries said, “A crazy match again! Seven goals today. It was incredible. We fought until the end; very proud of the way we fought today. Overall, I’m very happy that we’re going to the final.”
Goalkeeper Yann Sommer, who was named Player of the Match, shared his excitement with Sky Italia: “I’m very happy, we played an incredible match. Which save will I remember? The last one on Lamine Yamal. He is a great player, and fortunately, it didn’t go in. Many teams would have given up after going down 3-2 but we didn’t.”
Football experts also reacted to the dramatic match. Clarence Seedorf, former Milan and Netherlands midfielder, said, “I think we’ve had enough emotions today! In the first half Inter were supreme, but Barcelona came back, and Inter looked low on energy. But they never gave up.”
Former England striker Wayne Rooney added, “Once Inter got the equaliser, it looked like they were the team that were going to push. Barcelona ran out of ideas at the end. Some of those saves by Sommer were excellent.”
Frattesi, the hero of the night, spoke about his emotional goal: “What happened? I don’t know! I celebrated so loudly that my head was spinning. After the game in Munich, I thought I would never feel anything like that again. But that’s football. I’ve always believed and never gave up. This is my reward.”
Inter fans now look forward to the final as their team aims to lift the Champions League trophy once again.
