In a night that will be remembered for years to come, Inter Milan fought tooth and nail to defeat Barcelona 4-3 in a breathless UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg, sealing a 7-6 aggregate victory to secure their place in the Munich final.
With the tie finely poised after a 3-3 draw in the first leg, the atmosphere at San Siro was electric, and the players delivered a spectacle to match. Lautaro Martínez fired the hosts ahead in the 21st minute, before Hakan Çalhanoğlu doubled their advantage from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time.
Barcelona refused to go quietly, striking back through Eric García early in the second half, followed by Dani Olmo’s clinical finish in the 60th minute to level the match on the night. But the drama was only just beginning.
Inter seemed to snatch it at the death when Francesco Acerbi powered home a header in the 90+3rd minute. Raphinha reignited Barça’s hopes with a superb goal in the 87th minute, but it wasn’t enough. In extra time, substitute Davide Frattesi became the hero for Inter, finding the net in the 99th minute to send the San Siro into absolute delirium.
The final whistle brought scenes of joy for Simone Inzaghi’s men, who now look ahead to Munich with dreams of European glory firmly within their grasp. For Xavi Hernández and Barcelona, it was heartbreak once again on the continental stage, a valiant fight but one that fell agonizingly short.