 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
Inter Milan reached the final stage of the European Champions League (UCL) after a dramatic reversal.
Inter Milan won 4-3 against Barcelona in the second leg of the 2024-2025 UCL semifinals at San Siro in Milan, Italy, on the 7th (Korea time). Inter Milan, which had a 3-3 draw with Barcelona in the first leg, won the second leg and secured a ticket to the final with a total of 7-6.
Inter Milan have shown their potential to reach the UCL finals twice in the last three seasons by advancing to the finals. Serie A has been evaluated as sluggish and weak compared to the English Premier League and Spain's La Liga in the European competition, but Inter Milan's progress has properly refuted this assessment. Inter Milan finished second after losing to Manchester City in the final in the 2022-2023 season, but this time it will try to win for the first time in 15 years since the 2009-2010 season against the winners of Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Inter Milan came out in a 3-5-2 formation. Marcus Thurang, Henrik Mikitarian, Hakan Chalhanoglu, Nicolo Barella, Federico DiMarco, Denzel Doompris, Jan Aurel Bisek, Francesco Acerbi and Alexandro Bastoni were among the starters at the forefront. The goalkeeper was Jan Zimmer.
Barcelona faced off in a 4-2-3-1 format. Ferran Torres, Hafinya, Lamin Yamal, Dani Olmo, Pedri, Frenkie the Dragon, Herard Martin, Inigo Martinez, Pau Kubarsi, Eric Garcia - Wojciech Szczesny - wore goalkeeper gloves.
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
Inter Milan took the lead. He scored the first goal 21 minutes into the first half. Strong forward pressure was the solution. After successful interception from the midfield, Doompris and Lautaro surged sharply into the goal. Lautaro then hit a finishing blow. Lautaro's shot shook the net.
Inter Milan widened the gap by adding one goal in the first half. Lautaro played the role of a fixer. At the same time as his teammates collapsed the Barcelona defense line from the side, Lautaro broke through the box and threatened the goal. Defender Kubarsi couldn't stand it and committed a foul. A VAR review declared a penalty. Chalhanoglu, who was a kicker, precisely aimed for Barcelona's goal and scored an additional goal.
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
Inter Milan finished with a 2-0 lead in the first half, but Barcelona also had no intention of giving up. Barcelona began to rebound in the 9th minute of the second half with a chasing goal. Fullback defenseman Eric Garcia actively participated in the attack and scored his first goal. Then, in the 15th minute of the second half, Dani Olmo pushed the ball that Gerard Martin put in an early cross into the Inter Milan goal with a diving header. When the game was in balance, the stadium got hotter.
Barcelona made the turnaround. In the 42nd minute of the second half, Hafinha scored a goal. It was a moment when the cheers of the Barcelona crowd burst. The game looked like a complete snooze.
But Inter Milan didn't give up. A miraculous theater goal was scored in the extra time of the second half. Inter Milan veteran Acerbi pushed the attempted cross with his right foot after Doomfries stole the ball against Barcelona's defence on the right with two minutes left in stoppage time. It was a dramatic equalizer. In the end, the two teams, which could not compete, went into extra time.
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
The team that laughed in overtime was Inter Milan. In the eighth minute of extra time, Pratesh calmly shook Barcelona's net with a pass from Thurang in the box. After the loss, Barcelona struggled to tie the game again. However, he was blocked by Zommer's good defense and lowered his head. Yamal's sharp mid-range shot in the second half of extra time was also caught by Zommer's finger and turned away from the goal. In the end, Inter Milan won 4-3.
Inter Milan have consistently maintained their outstanding performance in the UCL this season, reaching the final stage. In the league phase, he ranked fourth with six wins, one draw and one loss, going straight to the round of 16. He consistently met teams that included Korean players and beat them back-to-back. In the group stage, Seol Young-woo won 4-0 against Tsurvena Zvezda. In the round of 16, he defeated Hwang In-beom's Feyenoord by a total of 4 to 1 in the first and second games to reach the quarterfinals. Inter Milan, which even broke through Bayern Munich and Kim Min-jae's defense in the quarterfinals, beat Bayern 4-3 on aggregate and reached the semifinals and defeated Barcelona to confirm its progress to the final.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
