Barcelona’s return to the Champions League remaining should wait.
After erasing an Inter Milan lead on Tuesday for the third time throughout the two-legged semifinals, Barça took its first lead of the total-goals-wins collection after which virtually instantly squandered it, conceding twice extra to the hosts in Milan’s famed San Siro Stadium and dropping in additional time 4-3 and 7-6 on combination.
Nonetheless, it’s exhausting to say that Inter didn’t deserve its victory. The Nerazzurri have been unfortunate to not go away Spain with a win in final week’s opener, however the 3-3 tie in Barcelona meant all they needed to do was win Tuesday’s rematch — Inter went into the decisive contest having by no means misplaced a Champions League semi at house — to return to the most important stage in world membership soccer for the second time in three seasons.
Right here’s how Tuesday’s epic semifinal second leg shook out.
Play of the sport
Barcelona had one foot within the remaining in second-half stoppage time as they nursed a 3-2 lead within the recreation and a 6-5 benefit general. Inter heart again Francesco Acerbi had different concepts. With three of the 5 minutes of second-half stoppage time within the books and Barça’s bench able to run onto the sector in celebration, Acerbi saved his aspect when he raced ahead and poked house the equalizer from the doorstep following a sq. move from Denzel Dumfries:
Turning level
The ultimate twist of this roller-coaster home-and-home didn’t arrive till the 189th minute of the collection. That’s when Inter’s Davide Frattesi scored the thirteenth and decisive aim of the 2 legs to ship the defending Italian champions into the ultimate.
Key stat
When Raphinha put Barça forward on Tuesday with simply three minutes of normal time remaining, it marked the primary time they’d led over the 2 video games. It didn’t final lengthy — Acerbi’s leveler got here simply six minutes later, swinging the momentum once more and sending the match to additional time.
What’s subsequent for Barcelona?
Barça has solely itself in charge for falling behind twice and settling for the 3-3 tie in entrance of its house supporters in final week’s first leg in Catalonia. However regardless of not reaching the European remaining for the primary time in a decade, the membership took a transparent step ahead this season below German supervisor Hans Flick. This was Barça’s first semifinal look since 2019. The Blaugrana are additionally in pole place to win Spain’s La Liga, main rivals Actual Madrid by 4 factors with 4 league matches left to play.
The primary of these comes on Sunday towards — who else? — Los Blancos, who would love nothing greater than to beat Barça for the primary time in 2024-25.
What’s subsequent for Inter Milan?
The Nerazzurri are headed again to the most important match within the membership recreation for the second time since 2023. Inter, which narrowly misplaced to Manchester Metropolis in Istanbul two years in the past regardless of registering twice as many pictures because the victors, will face both Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain within the Might 31 remaining in Munich. PSG leads the Gunners 1-0 on combination heading into Wednesday’s decider on the Parc des Princes.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports activities who has coated United States males’s and girls’s nationwide groups at FIFA World Cups on 5 continents. Observe him @ByDougMcIntyre.
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