The best team does not always win — a truth Barcelona knows all too well. And it echoed again on a gripping night at the Giuseppe Meazza, where their treble aspirations came to a crashing halt.
The finer details often fade into the margins of history, but it is the consistency of results that forges narrative. Barcelona have now lost each of their previous five UEFA Champions League semi-final away matches — a streak that speaks louder than any single night could.
Simone Inzaghi and his men rose to the occasion, honouring the legacy of the Giuseppe Meazza with a dramatic 4-3 extra-time victory on the night, sealing a 7-6 aggregate win and booking their place in a second Champions League final in three years.
Their victory brought an end to what had been a remarkable run for Barcelona, a side that could never truly be counted out until the final whistle. By far the best team in the world given the context of the season. But not every contest gets a climax finale.
Not many teams can go 2-0 down in both legs of a semi-final match against Inter and claw their way back level each time. But Barcelona showed they were unfazed by adversity — at least until Davide Frattesi struck what proved to be the match-winning goal.
Heavy favourites heading into the tie against their out-of-form opponent, the Catalan giants have now been knocked out of Europe’s premier competition by what could be considered the weakest Inter side in over 13 years.
The Nerazzurri entered the tie a team in shambles. Three consecutive defeats had seen them relinquish top spot in the Scudetto race, while a 3-0 drubbing by city rivals AC Milan ended their Coppa Italia run at the semi-final stage — and with it, their treble hopes.
Simone Inzaghi’s side failed to score in any of those three losses, marking their first such run of blanks since February 2012.Lautaro Martinez, Marcus Thuram and Dumfries Dumfries all struggled for fitness over the course of the two legs, while Benjamin Pavard didn’t even feature at all.
Barcelona were not without blows of their own. Both Robert Lewandowski and Alejandro Balde missed the first leg, while Jules Koundé was forced off injured and ultimately sidelined for the return fixture as well.
Lewandowski did return for the second leg, though all six of Barcelona’s goals across the tie had already been scored before his introduction — a detail that perhaps underlines just how effective the attacking trio of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Ferran Torres had been in his absence.
It was an absolute Cinema, one that saw both side combine for 13 goals, equaling the record for most in a UCL semi-final tie, set between Liverpool and AS Roma in 2019, with the English side winning on aggregate by the same scoreline as Inter.
One might have expected that if any team were to eliminate Barcelona, it would be Inter. But not many would have backed Hansi Flick’s side to get eliminated after scoring six, just as no one would’ve fancied Inter to go through having conceded that many.
In a normal world, six goals should be enough to win you a tie, but this time, it wasn’t as both sides took themselves to, and beyond their limits.
Barcelona’s six goals across the two legs were more than Inter had conceded in their previous 12 games en route to the semi-finals. Meanwhile, the seven goals scored by the Nerazzurri accounted for a staggering 27 percent of their total in the competition at this stage.
It was set to be Barcelona’s biggest test so far in the UEFA Champions League knockouts, having already dealt with the likes of Benfica and then Borussia Dortmund in the previous rounds, all teams who are no match for the treble hunters.
How It Happened in the Giuseppe Meazza
For a side whom recent history has seldom favoured, Barcelona had every reason for concern heading into the return leg. Their struggles away from home, both historically and against top opposition in the Champions League, were a clear warning sign.
Soundly beaten by Dortmund in their most recent away outing, the Catalans had also failed to win in Bergamo and stumbled against AS Monaco in their league phase opener earlier this season.
The growing sense of dread was nearly confirmed by half-time, when Hakan Çalhanoğlu calmly converted a penalty won by Lautaro Martinez to double the hosts’ lead.
Martinez, who had opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, drew level with Hernán Crespo’s club record of nine goals in a single Champions League campaign, set in 2002–03. For Calhanoglu, it marked his 24th successful penalty in 25 attempts for Inter.
They nearly put the game to bed seven minutes after the restart, but Francesco Acerbi’s strike was ruled out for offside — a reprieve Barcelona gratefully accepted. Just two minutes later, Eric Garcia halved the deficit to drag the visitors back into the game.
Gerard Martin, who assisted Barça’s first of the night, delivered another sublime cross to the back post on the hour mark, where Dani Olmo rose to guide a precise header into the far corner — levelling the score, the match, and the tie.
Barcelona then struck the crucial next goal three minutes from full time, with Raphinha finding the net to notch his 21st goal involvement of the Champions League campaign (13 goals, 8 assists) — equalling Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for the most in a single season.
Inter, however, refused to be silenced on their own turf. Three minutes into stoppage time, Francesco Acerbi — unexpectedly popping up in a striker’s position — made no mistake, slotting home from a low cross by the outstanding Denzel Dumfries.
Acerbi in the process becomes the second oldest goalscorer in a Champions League knockout match at 37 years and 85 days, only behind Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs, 37 years and 148 days.
Dumfries had an incredible 210 minutes across the two legs, directly involved in five of Inter’s seven goals — scoring twice and providing three assists. Remarkably, he had only just returned from over a month out injured, rushed back specifically for this tie.
At the sound of the final whistle, it was unbelievable that either sides have scored six times each and not won the tie. Most especially Inter, who have a solid defensive reputation in the Champions League this season.
Ultimately, the tie was settled in the nineth minute of added time by substitute Davide Frattesi, who fired a precise left footed shot past Wojceich Szczesny after getting hold of a pass from fellow substitute Mehdi Taremi, inside the penalty box.
Barcelona: Even the Best Bleed amidst Adversity
Missing the duo of Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde might sound like a cheap excuse, but there’s no denying Barcelona hardly concede seven over 210 minutes with those two in the pitch.
Maybe the Gerard Martin and Eric Garcia could have done better defensively, but they’ve hardly played in that position in tough games under Hansi Flick, except in the Clasico, but Real Madrid barely represents a tough challenge for Barcelona these days.
While the backups provided attacking returns in the Giuseppe Meazza, Barcelona might not have needed them to, or even if they do, both Kounde and Balde have combined for 23 goal involvement across all competitions this season.
Despite the brilliance of the club this season, their struggles have been very obvious in games where as little as just one of their major players has been missing, whether excluded from the starting XI willingly or not.
The absence of Kounde or Balde weigh heavy, and Inter were given the license to create danger in almost every rare sight they had on the attack with their 29 per cent ball possession over the two legs.
Inter: Clinical for the Glory of the Meazza
Inter has never lost a UEFA Champions League semi-final match at home, a run that has now clocked double digits of attempts, with Barcelona falling victim for the second time.
Mightier teams have come but none was able to inflict any defeat. Real Madrid and AC Milan have both tried on multiple occasions, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund and Celtic have all tried their luck, but the Nerazzurri protected their home in this round.
Over the course of the tie, Inzaghi’s charge only fell behind once, which was their biggest secret to overcoming an attacking team like Barcelona. They had to be clinical and take the rare chances. Inzaghi’s side scored from all three shots on target in the first leg, and four from seven in the second leg, which included added time.
Who knows what could have happened had Barcelona been the one with the two-goal lead in both legs. Six big chances over 210 minutes, Inter scored them all, and fashioned one more out of a thin air.
It was always going to take something out of the ordinary to stop Barcelona’s treble hunt, and Inter, over the course of 210 minutes was able to produce just that.
Credits to Inzaghi for acknowledging that it was going to be very difficult to keep their defensive reputation against a team that scores for fun, so going for it whenever they had the chance was the approach that helped them stay in the game.
Barcelona have shown vulnerability in defence whenever their high lines can be exploited. And majority of the goals scored by the Italian side over the course of the tie came down to this detail.
The five time Champions League winners have conceded way too many goals before heading into the tie with Inter. They conceded three to Borussia Dortmund and Celta Vigo in back-to-back games; their defence ranks 20th amongst teams to qualify from the league phase.
For now, Inter can focus on avoiding another heart break when they play in their second final in three years as they wait to learn their opponent in today’s game between PSG and Arsenal in Parc des Princes.
For Barcelona, it is unfortunate that their will be no treble this season. After achieving this much in Hansi Flick’s first season, they can be optimistic heading into the future with their German tactician, while primary attention is now turned to the LaLiga title race.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
