Inter becomes the first finalist in the Champions League
In the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final, Inter defeated Barcelona 4-3 in a match that ended 3-3 in regular time to advance to the final. Turkish national footballer Hakan Çalhanoğlu scored one goal for the Italian side.
İHA
In the premier club-level competition of European football, the Italian side Inter hosted Barcelona in the second leg of the semi-final.
Polish referee Szymon Marciniak officiated the return leg at the San Siro. The match began with end-to-end attacks, and Inter found the opening goal in the 21st minute through pressure in the attacking third. Following a through ball from Federico Dimarco, Dumfries slipped behind the defense and passed to the unmarked Lautaro Martinez, who sent the ball into the net. In a fast-developing attack for the blue-and-blacks, who made their presence felt in defense, Lautaro Martinez was brought down inside the penalty area. After a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) check, Marciniak went to the sideline to review the incident and pointed to the penalty spot. Stepping up to take the penalty, national footballer Hakan Çalhanoğlu sent the ball and the goalkeeper to opposite corners.
In the match, which ended 2-0 at halftime, Barcelona reduced the deficit to 1 in the 54th minute with Eric Garcia. Following the goal, the Spanish side created several clear chances and equalized in the 60th minute with a header from Dani Olmo. 2-2
Barcelona completed their comeback in the 87th minute. Brazilian footballer Raphinha found the net with a powerful shot from the left diagonal into the far corner. For the hosts, Dumfries delivered a low cross in front of the goal in the 90+3rd minute, and Acerbi scored with a single touch to restore parity. In the match that went to extra time, Inter took the lead in the 99th minute through Frattesi. The Spanish side could not capitalize on the chances they created with Yamal and Lewandowski in the remaining minutes. With the final whistle, Inter secured their place in the final. Simone Inzaghi and his players have managed to reach the Champions League final once again, following the 2023 final played in Istanbul.
Hakan Çalhanoğlu, who started the match in the starting 11, was replaced by Zielinski in the 79th minute.
In the other semi-final matchup, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal will face off at 22:00 TSI.
The Champions League final match will be played at the Munich Arena on Saturday, May 31.