Inter Milan booked their place in the UEFA Champions League final with a dramatic 4–3 win over Barcelona at San Siro on Tuesday night, sealing a 7–6 aggregate victory.
Lautaro Martínez opened the scoring in the 21st minute, and Hakan Çalhanoğlu added a second from the penalty spot just before halftime. Barcelona responded with goals from Eric García, Dani Olmo, and Raphinha, taking the lead late in regulation.
But Francesco Acerbi equalized in stoppage time to force extra time, where Davide Frattesi struck the decisive goal in the 99th minute. Barcelona pressed for another equaliser, but Yann Sommer stood firm.
The match ties Liverpool vs. Roma (2018) as the highest-scoring Champions League semi-final ever. Inter now head to their second final in three seasons under Simone Inzaghi, joining Real Madrid as the only team to reach multiple finals in that span.
“My players have been extraordinary, they’ve put out there two monstrous performances to get to this final,” Inzaghi said.
“We have to continue. The final will be played against a really great team, whether it’s Arsenal or PSG. Barcelona and Bayern are probably the best teams in Europe at the moment, but it will still be difficult.”
The second semifinal of the Champions League takes place tonight in France between PSG and Arsenal. The French side heads into the match with a 1-0 advantage.
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