Appropriately, following three and a half hours, thirteen goals, and three assaults from the substitutes’ bench, the heavens opened with a downpour that also felt somewhat like a baptism. Barcelona and Inter have repeatedly exhausted themselves and found that they still have more to offer. We were somewhere outside of sanity, outside of plans and maps, outside of shapes and strategies.
That concluded what ended up being more of a drawn-out scream than a Champions League semi-final, the kind of match that arises when both teams give up on perfection and somehow manage to achieve it.
Perfect tension, perfect imperfection, perfect theater, a perfect clash of styles, and a perfect balance between grizzled, grimacing experience and flamboyant, fearless youth.
After Barcelona’s incredible equalization through Eric García and Dani Olmo, after Inter’s two-goal through Lautaro Martínez and Hakan Calhanoglu, after Yann Sommer’s sprawling saves, after Raphinha in the 87th minute and Francesco Acerbi in the 93rd, Davide Frattesi came on in the 99th. Frattesi took time he didn’t have and displayed composure he didn’t have after getting hurt over the weekend in a game he wasn’t allowed to play.
There were tears at the end, and not just on the Barcelona side either. For Simone Inzaghi’s team, beaten finalists in Istanbul two years ago, this has been a stirring journey of resolve and belief, of fortifying themselves with every setback.
Despite giving up six goals in two games, a defense that had allowed only five goals in the entire competition mustered the courage to face the abyss, withstand the waves of intense Barcelona pressure, block the great Lamine Yamal’s path, and live to tell the story. Barcelona’s stunning but ultimately unsuccessful experiment serves as a reminder that living without compromise does not equate to living without repercussions.
Even though they led this semi-final for only five minutes out of 210, it feels harsh to chastise them too harshly because it wasn’t until the final kick that it was really possible to think they were done. There is a clásico to be won and a league title to be secured in the interim, but Hansi Flick’s team will undoubtedly return a little braver and a little wiser.
Above all, Barcelona must address the feeling of unending optimism they are able to instill in their opponents—the belief that their forwards’ actions can always be reversed at the back. Inter repeatedly pushed at the door and discovered it was open. The press was raging, the wing-backs Federico Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries were everywhere, and although Gerard Martín and García provided an incredible attacking threat in the second half, they were too frequently left exposed.
Olmo was the one who caused Inter’s first goal, as Dumfries was put through clean by Dimarco’s crunching tackle and quick through pass. Even though Martínez’s goal was simple, it felt like a cathartic one for the Argentinean striker, who is now learning how to perform on the biggest stages despite his incredibly high work rate.
Before Calhanoglu’s penalty kick on the stroke of halftime, a narrow VAR call against Pau Cubarsí as he slid in on Martínez, Barcelona had a brief burst of opportunities around the half-hour mark, but Inter was starting to regain their footing. Two-nil, but in the midst of Inter’s euphoria, they only knew that their pain was far from over.
Because if we know anything about Barcelona, we know that they always respond to hardship by becoming more fearless, naive, and harder. Full-back to full-back, Martín’s cross and García’s crushing volley capped off a barrage of sweeping attack from the flanks, giving Inter a taste of their own medicine. Six minutes later, Martín crossed from the left once more, causing panic in the Inter area before Olmo headed this time.
After his first attempt was blocked, Raphinha took the lead with a roaring inevitable lash at the back post. However, as time ran out, the unstoppable Dumfries mustered the strength to repel Cubarsí and square for Acerbi. This incredible semi-final reached its epilogue when the seasoned defender smashed the ball into the top corner.
Even though everyone was dying, they all felt more alive somehow because football was played on the brink of everything. Frattesi ended up with the ball 12 yards out after Lamine Yamal prowled and probed, causing the momentum to swing with erratic violence. The San Siro exploded as Frattesi finished.
There was still time and a chance for Barça even now. However, miracles were to stop. A match that seemed to defy time had finally run its course, and the semi-final itself had been the miracle.
