Champions League, explosive 3-3 between Barcelona and Inter
Nerazzurri ahead first 2-0, then 3-2, and come back. Excellent result anyway, access to the final will be decided on Tuesday at the Meazza: Yamal and Dumfries unstoppable
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Sparkling 3-3 draw in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final between Barcelona and Inter . Everything has therefore been postponed to the return match, scheduled for next Tuesday at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium.
Nerazzurri come back twice: they go ahead 2-0 with Thuram and Dumfries and are caught by Yamal and Torres, then Dumfries again in the second half but the advantage lasts just a minute, the final 3-3 is an own goal by Sommer on a feat by Raphinha . In the first half, Inzaghi's team suffers the Catalans' domination and suffers an unstoppable Yamal, they do much better in the second half.
Inter will have Thuram and Dumfries back from the start and will line up with their usual 3-5-2: Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Çalhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Thuram. Barcelona, without Lewandowski, will line up with a 4-2-3-1: Szczesny; Koundé, Cubarsí, Inigo Martinez, Gerard Martin; de Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha; Ferran Torres.
Four goals and two injuries in an exhilarating first half . Inter immediately took the lead after just 35 seconds with Thuram, a splendid backheel following an assist from the right by Dumfries, one of the best on the pitch . The Blaugrana reacted furiously, but Inter saved themselves three times and relied on counterattacks. In one of these, they earned a corner on which Acerbi passed to Dumfries, who scored the incredible second with a scissor kick .
We are at the 21st minute and Inter are sensationally ahead 2-0. But Barcelona continues to grind out the game, Lamine Yamal lights up and becomes unstoppable. With a gem he closes the gap at 24' , skipping past two men and unleashing a left-footed shot that kisses the post and goes into the net. He is the scarecrow, at 26' he hits the post and continues to drive Dimarco and the entire Nerazzurri rearguard crazy, doing practically everything he wants. Barcelona still comes close to scoring on two occasions with Dani Olmo, and the Nerazzurri fortress gives way at 38': Pedri launches, Raphina acts as a pass for the insertion of Ferran Torres who beats Sommer . At the end of the half, injuries to Koundé (in his place Eric Garcia) and Lautaro , replaced by Taremi.
At the start of the second half the hosts are less aggressive, Inter are more aggressive and immediately waste a great chance to get back in front with Dimarco. The game is played at a much slower pace, Barcelona are in control but do not besiege Inter and Yamal is more human after a first half like a real alien. Moments of relative calm that do not last long: in the 64th minute Inter go back in front, again Dumfries, again on a corner with a deflected header . But only a minute passes and the score is 3-3: technically it is an own goal by Sommer, but it is a feat by Raphinha, an amazing shot from outside that hits the crossbar and bounces off the head of the Inter goalkeeper before going into the net.
Barcelona continues to leave huge spaces. In the 75th minute another lightning counterattack by Inter and a goal by Mkhitaryan disallowed for a millimetric offside , on an assist from the usual unstoppable Dumfries, who continues to sow panic in the Blaugrana defense. Then Raphinha tests Sommer with a free kick. The pace inevitably slows down towards the end, when Yamal hits the post with a sensational lob .
In the three minutes of injury time the Blaugrana siege does not produce any great opportunities and it ends like this, 3-3. Access to the Champions League final will be decided at the Meazza next Tuesday, May 6.
(Unioneonline/L)
