Epic semi-final against Barcelona: 4-3 in extra time and pass for Munich detached. The apotheosis of Simone Inzaghi’s team who will play everything until the end of the season
It was not a game but a novel, written in several hands by two wonderful and imperfect teams, who gave a memorable night. Another 4-3 enters the history of Italian football and pushes Simone Inzaghi’s Inter to the Champions League final in Munich. Do not make appointments for 9 pm on Saturday 31 May 2025: in any case it will end up will be the culmination of an extraordinary European season of a group on a mission since September and which to go to this point has had to touch all the technical, physical and moral strings that ask themselves to sign a similar company.
Epic, Spaccacuori, lacerating in its wild intensity. This was the challenge that sent Inter to Paradise and Barcelona to San Siro to Hell. The Nerazzurri won him, lost, revered and retained with their teeth several times inside 120 unforgettable minutes. A billiards of Davide Frattesi decided it, who wanted to leave in January because he played little and who lived half an hour that is worth a career: who knows if now he will have rethought it … his signature that closed the scoreboard, but inside the packaging of the game it is difficult to find the moment when the balance moved from the Nerazzurri to the Catalans. Before Frattesi, Francesco Acerbi resumed it, ugly and ungraded but extraordinary in throwing the heart beyond the obstacle in almost expired time to rebel against the mockery of the double comeback. Yann Sommer won it, the new Vecchiappasogni as Julio Cesar was on the night of the Camp Nou of April 2010: the parade on Eric Garcìa unreal and the touch on Lamine Yamal in extra time is essential.
And then the sacrifice of Lautaro Martinez, halved captain who gave the example leaving the mark on the challenge when everything seemed beautiful. The cramps of Niccolò Barella, unmade by fatigue, the shots of Marcus Thuram and Denzel Dumfries, who ran until they had and then went to run. It was the night of the reservists: Taremi I live like never in the season, Zielinski thrown into the fray when the midfield was collapsing, a multi -storey Darmian soldier like a Swiss knife. The aforementioned Frattesi. In short, the night of all. The night of Simone Inzaghi who brings Inter to play a Champions League final for the second time in three years and it is not said to be enough to silence the critics regardless.
Barcelona may regret not having been able to grasp the moment and that they have lowered a guard one step away from the finish line. The future is on its side, the present of Pedri and Yamine Lamal is already something sensational but it was not enough to take the pass for the final. The Catalans collected seven goals between round trip, too many to survive, even clinging to a talent and an unmatched cheekiness. They were a worthy opponent, never domo: they surrendered to a night of magic of those that only a few stages – among these the old San Siro – know how to give. Here, it is possible and desirable that in a few years the Meazza represents the past, but in closing its history it will be good that there is a sense of respect for what it represents: a monument that exudes football, knows how to cross evenings like this, accompany them and when possible to direct them.
Inter-Barcelona was a novel, exciting and happy ending. Inter go to Munich where he has already signed a huge company by beating Bayern Munich. It goes there with the awareness that for the Inzaghi group is perhaps one last lap, but the approach will not be that of Istanbul. There the Nerazzurri left disadvantaged, now no longer. The feeling is that they find themselves exactly where they had thought they could be.
