Inter Milan secured a dramatic Champions League final spot with a 4-3 victory over Barcelona in the second leg of their semifinal, clinching a 7-6 aggregate win in a breathtaking match that will be remembered for years. Substitute Davide Frattesi scored the extra-time winner, while goalkeeper Yann Sommer produced a series of world-class saves to help his team advance. The victory sent Inter into the Munich final, where they will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal, who play on Wednesday.
The match was a story of two halves. Inter controlled the first half, taking a 2-0 lead with goals from Lautaro Martinez (21st minute) and Hakan Calhanoglu (penalty in the 45th minute). However, Barcelona fought back in the second half, with Eric Garcia (50th minute) and Dani Olmo (56th minute) scoring to level the tie. Inter goalkeeper Sommer kept his team alive with vital saves, but in the 87th minute, Raphinha thought he had secured the win for Barcelona with a close-range strike.
In a dramatic turn of events, Francesco Acerbi salvaged Inter’s hopes, scoring a stunning equalizer deep in added time with a first-time effort following a ball from Denzel Dumfries, forcing the match into extra time. In the 99th minute, Marcus Thuram provided an assist for Frattesi, who calmly curled a shot into the bottom corner to seal the victory for Inter.
Barcelona’s hope for a treble ended in heartbreak, but they now shift their focus to La Liga, where they face Real Madrid on Sunday. As for Inter, they are one step away from their fourth Champions League title and will look to make up for their loss to Manchester City in the 2023 final.
Frattesi, emotional after the win, said, “It’s incredible, I don’t know what to say. Tonight, the incredible happened.”
