Champions League: Inter win thriller against Barcelona

After two intense matches with a total of 13 goals, Inter Milan have become the first Champions League finalists. The Italians beat FC Barcelona 4-3 (3-3, 2-0) in extra time in the second leg of their semifinal. The first leg ended 3-3 a week ago .

Decision in extra time

In the second leg, in front of 75,000 spectators at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Inter, who had defeated FC Bayern in the quarterfinals , got off to a better start. Goalscorer Lautaro Martinez (21st minute) and former Bundesliga pro Hakan Calhanoglu's penalty (45th+1) secured a comfortable halftime lead. After the break, Barcelona turned things around and equalized within minutes. Defender Eric Garcia (54th) and former Leipzig player Dani Olmo (60th) were the scorers.

Shortly before the end of regular time, the visitors, coached by former national team coach Hansi Flick , even made it 3-2 through Raphinha (87'). However, Inter fought with all their might to avoid the impending defeat and equalized in stoppage time through Francesco Acerbi (90+3'). Davide Frattesi then sealed the victory in the 99th minute of extra time.

"I was lucky to finish the game because I celebrated so much that I was dizzy and almost had a blackout," he said afterward in an interview with Sky Sport Italia.

Yann Sommer: "Couldn't be happier"

"I was in tears right after the final whistle," Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer said after the game on Amazon Prime. "I'm 36, not the youngest anymore. And now I get to play in a Champions League final with this team. I couldn't be happier."

The Swiss player moved from FC Bayern Munich to Inter in 2023 and was named "Man of the Match" after the match against Barcelona, ​​in which he made numerous saves.

In addition to him, several former Bundesliga professionals play for the Milanese, including Calhanoglu (Karlsruher SC, Hamburger SV, Bayer Leverkusen), Benjamin Pavard (VfB Stuttgart, FC Bayern), Henrikh Mkhitaryan ( Borussia Dortmund ) and national player Yann Aurel Bisseck (1. FC Köln).

Hansi Flick: "We will be back"

While Inter are back in the final after 2023, Barcelona and Flick's dream of a treble is over. "We're out, but we'll try again next season. We'll try to make the fans and the club proud," Flick said. The young team, led by 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, will "learn from this."

"We'll be back next season," announced Flick, who has been working at Barcelona since last summer. The team has already won the Spanish Cup, and in the league, Barça is four points ahead of Real Madrid just before the end of the season.

On Sunday, the two top clubs in the Spanish league will meet in a direct duel. This could ultimately decide the title, and with it the future of Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti and Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso .

The Champions League runner-up, who will face Inter in Munich on May 31, will be decided in the second semifinal between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal. PSG won the first leg in London 1-0.