Barcelona vs Inter Review
Barcelona came back from an early two-goal deficit to secure an exciting 3-3 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final against Inter. This result extended Inter’s winless streak in Spain to 11 matches (4 draws, 7 losses). Before this match, Inter had gone four competitive games without a victory (1 draw, 3 losses), but they could not have asked for a better start in Catalonia. Simone Inzaghi’s team quickly made their mark, scoring just 30 seconds into the game when Denzel Dumfries’ cross was cleverly flicked in by Marcus Thuram, finding the bottom corner past Wojciech Szczęsny.
After being shocked by the setback, Barça quickly sought to respond, but Ferran Torres squandered two chances by shooting wide from inside the box. These missed opportunities proved detrimental, as Inter extended their lead in the 21st minute with a brilliant acrobatic goal from Dumfries, set up by a clever flick from Francesco Acerbi. Eager to get back into the match, the hosts managed to score shortly after, with Lamine Yamal weaving past several Inter defenders and curling a beautiful shot into the far corner off the inside of the post.
Just three minutes later, Yamal nearly scored again, but his powerful angled shot was tipped onto the crossbar by Yann Sommer. As halftime approached, Barça continued to pressure the visitors’ goal, and after Dani Olmo’s low shot was saved by Sommer, they equalized when Raphinha’s soft header found Torres, who calmly finished from close range.
Inter started the second half without their injured star Lautaro Martínez, but they missed a great chance to take the lead when Federico Dimarco shot over from 12 yards. However, the visitors appeared more threatening, and their effectiveness from set pieces was evident again in the 63rd minute when Dumfries headed in from Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s corner. Just two minutes later, Barcelona equalized with Raphinha’s impressive long-range shot hitting the bar and deflecting off the unfortunate Sommer, setting the stage for an exciting finish.
Both teams pressed forward in search of a late winner, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan having a well-executed goal disallowed for offside, while Yamal’s miss-hit shot hit the woodwork at the other end. Despite a few more opportunities, neither team could find the winning goal, and they ended up sharing the points ahead of the eagerly anticipated return leg at the Giuseppe Meazza next week.
