Great spectacle, pure madness, goals from elsewhere, a breathtaking dramaturgy! Forget the apothecary calculations, this barça-interiming in the semi-finals go to the Champions League was an ode to offensive football, a magnificent and unbridled fight which ended on a spectacular parity score (3-3). A result that leaves you open before the return to San Siro, but which will remain above all as one of the most beautiful European evenings in recent years, a treat for the eyes of neutral spectators, a heartbreaker for coaches and defenses put to the test.
Inter -interior start, barça sounded
The tone was set immediately, without a round of observation. Thirty seconds in the chronometer, and Marcus Thuram invented a crazy gesture, a “Madjeresque” heel in the surface on a service of Dumfries to icing Montjuïc. 0-1. The KO was close when this same Denzel Dumfries, omnipresent and unstoppable, dubbed an acrobatic recovery in the midst of a Barcelona defense at the Abois (21st). 0-2. The inter unrolled his plan to perfection, Barça seemed to the edge of the abyss, unable to react to the Milanese furia.
Yamal awakens Barça, madness continues
But this Barça has mental resources and, above all, a raw diamond of barely 17 years old. Lamine Yamal, who was thought to be uncertain before the match, decided to take matters into his own hands. A bewildered slalom left its right wing, erasing three defenders before laying a perfect left foot flat out of the reach of Sommer (24th). An anthology goal to relaunch his team. The terrible kid even found the crossbar in stride (26th)! The match was relaunched, completely crazy. And it was Ferran Torres, at the conclusion of a splendid collective movement initiated by Pedri and stored by Raphinha, who reset the counters to zero before the break (38th). 2-2. Irrespirable.
Blow for blow, the match refuses to choose his camp
The pace did not fall back after the break, despite the loss of Koundé on injury on the Barça side. The Inter, far from doubting after having dilapidated his advantage, left before. And who other than Denzel Dumfries to restore the advantage to his family? The tireless Dutch placed an unstoppable head on a Calhanoglu corner (64th). 2-3. The inter thought to have rebuilt the hardest. It was without counting on the immediate reaction, almost surreal, of Barça. Almost on commitment, Raphinha sent a 20 -meter monumental strike that struck the bar, bounced on the back of an unhappy top and ended up (65th). An officially attributed goal against his camp to the Swiss goalkeeper, but a strike that deserved better. 3-3. Madness at its climax.
A spectacular draw, shared regrets
The tension was still rising from a notch when Mkhitaryan saw its goal canceled by the Var for a millimeter offside (75th), to the great relief of an entire stadium. The last half hour was a little less unbridled, the fatigue undoubtedly starting to weigh. Lamine Yamal once again found the bar (88th), seal this parity score. A final 3-3 that will leave regrets to both camps: Inter to have led twice without being able to hold, at Barça for not having been able to win at home. But what a show!
This draw leaves the door wide open before a second round which promises to be explosive in Milan. One thing is certain, the defenses will have to be much more rigorous. And the finalist potential, perhaps PSG, is warned: be it Barça or Inter, adversity will be formidable and spectacular. We are already more like!
