Barcelona touched the glory in San Siro. He put Inter on the ropes and was just a few minutes after returning to the Champions League final, but Acerbi’s goals in the 93rd and Frattesi in the extension (4-3: 7-6, in the global computation) cruelly broke the Blaugrana dream and allowed the Italians to take the ticket to Munich, where they will face the PSG or the PSG. Dispute the title, the desired ‘Orejona’ that escaped in 2023.
Qualifying for history. Honor for Barcelona and Inter, pissed after providing pure show in two duels to the bare chest. An ode to football that ended up falling from the side ‘Nerazzurro’ after maximum equality and 13 goals that exhibited the potential of both teams.
It was a constant round trip. Of the continuous attacks of Inter to the resurrection of Barcelona. Of the axes of Lautaro and Calhanoglu the centers with the tie of Gerard Martín, assistant of Olmo and Eric García. To be against the ropes to the absolute Blaugrana domain. And the culmination of the regulatory time with the goal of Rapinha in the 89, disguised as Iniesta for a few minutes, the Lamine stick that could be decisive and the response on the horn of Acerbi in the 93 that revived Inter.
There, at that time, in the 93rd minute, the shifts changed. Barcelona became something small and Inter was billed when it was dead until Frattesi entered the history of the club with the goal in 99 of the extension that is worth a final.
It had not reached a Champions League final for 10 years. It was also in Germany, although in Berlin. It was the year of his triplet, broken in shatter after visiting San Siro.
Only two years ago the Inter play in Istanbul the last. Both deserved the passport, but it will be the Inter who travels to Munich this time. He returned to the most important party on the continent in a heroic way for the comeback in a brutal stage like San Siro and against a Barcelona that nothing can be reproached.
He died standing. With honor. With courage. Leaving everything and still dreaming.
It was a crazy game, although it was not the chaotic start of the first leg at Lluis Companys. The ideas of both remained. Barcelona wanted the domain with the ball and the Inter stalch at all times in search of a quick exit. The only difference is that this time, playing at home, the ‘Nerazzurri’ were not at the mercy of the Blaugrana for a long time.
The Inter the high pressures matched, maintained the solid block and, although it was initially precipitated in search of the last pass, dominated Barcelona during most of the first act, unable the Catalan team of generating the torrent of occasions of the first leg, diminished by the mistake of Olmo, Rapinha and Ferran, and constantly looking for the spark and genius of a Lamine Yamal always framed.
Inter Plan was always clear. And Barcelona was also always aware of what Inzaghi was going to look for. No team changed its style. And the balls behind the ‘Culer’ defense began to happen, with dumfries as the main recipient.
Iñigo Martínez had to appear in the heart of the area to prevent the Mkhitarian side center from reaching Lautaro after a spectacular, spectacular. Barella threatened with a stout shot that Szczesny saved. They were the two occasions that threatened Barcelona and that warned of interist intentions.
-And they were not empty, they did not fall in broken bag. Because in the 21st minute, in a robbery of Dimarco to De Jong in the center of the field, the first ax arrived. From lane to lane, although far from its usual zone. Dimarco took a second to place a ball into the space to Dumfries, which in regular position only had to leave the ball softly to Lautaro, a scorer in a match in which he does not even expected.
He tried to react this Barcelona, which, unlike a few years ago, does not fall to the canvas after a blow to the jaw. He had two occasions in a row, the first in a noise inside the area and the second with a shot in one; And a Pedri shot from afar.
The feeling was that Inter, in reality, had everything controlled. Not even an error in the ball that ended with an Eric center and an attempt to auction from Ferran made the alarms jump. Nor a shy shot by Lamine in what seemed to be one of the last of the first half, which ended up agitated by Cubarsí’s penalty about Lautaro. The infallible Calhanoglu converted from eleven meters.
Inter had it in hand. It seemed definitive. Barcelona seemed far from the deed.
Until the referee whistled the beginning of the second act. Barcelona was again the Barcelona of Flick. Aggressive, precise, dominator and propositive, in search of the nth comeback of the season.
And he got it in style. He completely blurred Inter in a few minutes and was erected as a total dominator. He lacked the goal and found it, perhaps, in the most unexpected way: in a side center, with Gerard Martín as an assistant and with Eric García as auctioneer on the second stick.
He knocked out that so much. Barça smelled blood and was able to do the second immediately with a counter with the same protagonists: Gerard’s pass and Eric’s auction almost at a empty door. Almost, because Sommer came out of nowhere to make the stop at night and keep his people alive. They were ephemeral seconds, because again Gerard placed a center measured to the second stick, straight to Olmo’s head to match a tie that seemed lost.
He tried to be the hero Lamine Yamal, but his shot to the squad repelled another saving hand of Sommer. It was the first omen of a duel that won the Swiss goal.
Gloria seemed to be reserved for a man who did not have a great night, but whose season is commendable. Rapinha, in his first danger action, in the 89th minute, emulated Iniesta to place Barcelona, his Barcelona, a few minutes to return to a final of ‘Champions’.
Destiny, however, had other plans. The epic, the deed, in the end fell on the side that seemed to let the game escape. First Acerbi, central disguised in nine, took the game to the extension. And then Frattesi, in a bestial play by Thuram, sentenced Barcelona, a fighter during the last 15 minutes, frustrated by Lewandowski’s occasions and Sommer’s paradon again to Lamine.
He stayed at the gates of the ‘Champions’ final, the one that Inter, which went from being dead to celebrate a historic pass, will play against the PSG or the arsenal.
