"We should have won."
Inter Milan won 4-3 against FC Barcelona in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals for the 2024-2025 season held on the 7th (Korea time) at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy.
The match, which ended in a 3-3 tie in the first leg, concluded with Inter's aggregate score of 7-6. As a result, Inter Milan advanced to the Champions League final.
Inter Milan lined up in a 3-5-2 formation. Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez formed the attacking combination, while Federico Dimarco, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Nicolò Barella, and Denzel Dumfries occupied midfield. Alessandro Bastoni, Francesco Acerbi, and Jan Aurel Bisseck made up the back three, with Jan Sommer guarding the goal.
Barcelona opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation. Ferran Torres aimed to score, with Raphinha, Dani Olmo, and Lamine Yamal in the attacking second line. Pedri and Frenkie de Jong filled the midfield, while Gerard Martín, Iñigo Martínez, Pau Kiwior, and Eric Garcia formed the back four. Wojciech Szczęsny donned the goalkeeper gloves.
The early stages of the match favored Inter Milan. In the 21st minute of the first half, Lautaro Martinez calmly scored the opening goal after receiving a pass from Thuram. In the 43rd minute, Çalhanoğlu converted a penalty kick awarded after a video review (VAR), extending the score to 2-0.
Barcelona's counterattack was also formidable. In the 54th minute, Eric Garcia scored a stunning goal, and in the 60th minute, Dani Olmo equalized with a header, flipping the momentum. In the 88th minute, Raphinha succeeded in completing a 2-3 comeback, but in stoppage time, Inter's center-back Acerbi finished Dumfries' cross, dramatically tying the match at 3-3.
The match went into extra time. In the 8th minute of the first half of extra time, Fratesi received a pass from Thuram and scored the winning goal, while Barcelona launched an all-out offensive featuring Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Lopez, and Pau Victor, but were thwarted by Sommer's brilliant saves.
Ultimately, Inter Milan defeated Barcelona and advanced to the Champions League final for the first time in 15 years since the 2009-2010 season. The final showdown for the 'Big Ears' will be against the winner of the match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.
Meanwhile, Hans Flick, the Barcelona coach, expressed dissatisfaction with the referee's decisions and the match outcome. He said, "It's disappointing. Some calls favored Inter. That's just how it is," adding, "The result doesn't make sense. The referee's decisions worked against us."
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