Francesco Acerbi and Davide Frattesi wrote themselves into Inter Milan and Champions League folklore as the Nerazzuri claimed a 4-3 extra-time win over Barcelona at San Siro to secure victory in a remarkable semi-final tie and book their place in the final with a 7-6 aggregate triumph.
Anyone thinking last week’s pulsating 3-3 draw in Barcelona, which saw the Blaugrana fight back from 2-0 down, could not be topped was proven mistaken as one of European football’s great cathedrals was treated to an undulating epic that will surely go down as an all-time classic.
Inter appeared to be in command after Lautaro Martinez’s 21st-minute opener and Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty, but an astonishing second half saw Barcelona mount another recovery mission, which looked to have been capped by Raphinha’s 13th Champions League goal of the season three minutes from the end of normal time after Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo had redressed the balance.
But there was a scarcely believable twist as 37-year-old centre-back Acerbi crashed home his first Champions League goal in the 93rd minute to force extra time, in which Frattesi found the decisive goal to send Inter into the final against either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal and end Barca’s dream of the treble.
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋: ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 🔥#ForzaInter #UCL #InterBarcellona pic.twitter.com/31ZJ793rGv
— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter) May 6, 2025
Inter Milan v Barcelona
Inter’s superiority in the first half did not translate into a clear-cut chance until Nicolo Barella stung the palms of Wojciech Szczesny on the half-volley, but there was nothing the Barcelona goalkeeper could do moments later after Inter harried Dani Olmo into losing the ball.
Federico DiMarco had the time and space to pick out Denzel Dumfries, scorer of two goals in the first leg, after Olmo was robbed of possession, and the Netherlands international squared for Martinez to slot into an empty net with Szczesny stranded.
Barca responded well to going behind, and the Blaugrana’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal had a chance to level after good work from Olmo, only to skew wide of the far post from the right side of the area.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Calhanoglu reached spurned presentable opportunities for the hosts, but Inter did double their lead on the stroke of half-time when Calhanoglu converted emphatically from the spot.
It looked initially as if Pau Cubarsi had stopped an Inter break with a perfectly timed challenge on Martinez. However, a VAR check revealed the centre-back had got none of the ball while getting plenty of Martinez, and Calhanoglu subsequently sent Szczesny the wrong way as he fired into the bottom-left corner.
Acerbi had the ball in the net eight minutes after the restart, only for the flag to be correctly raised for offside, and Barca gave themselves hope in spectacular fashion a minute later.
Garcia was the unlikely source as he scored just his second goal in the Champions League this season, sending a side-foot volley into the top-left corner from Gerard Martin’s left-wing cross.
A superb Yann Sommer save denied Garcia a second at the end of a superbly worked counter, but there was nothing the Inter goalkeeper could do to prevent Olmo from restoring parity on the hour mark as he turned home another wonderful delivery from Martin at the far post.
Inter grew increasingly ragged and Yamal drew a diving save from Sommer as Barca turned the screw, their pressure telling with what looked to be the decisive goal when Raphinha snuck his effort on the rebound just inside the far post after seeing his initial effort repelled.
The woodwork kept Inter hope alive when Yamal struck the right-hand post with a low drive having eschewed the chance to go to the corner flag, and that moment of fortune set the stage for a scarcely believable twist as Dumfries won the ball on the right and saw his low delivery to the near post turned home with incredible aplomb by Acerbi.
Yamal fired straight at Sommer in the closing seconds of stoppage time, before the delirium inside San Siro was taken to new heights after Frattesi guided a cultured finish into the bottom-left corner following outstanding hold-up play from Marcus Thuram and a neat lay-off from Mehdi Taremi.
Sommer twice denied Yamal as Barca sought another lifeline, but there was not to be another miracle reprieve as Inter clung on to emerge victorious in a tie that will forever live in the annals of Champions League history.
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