To call it simply 'the Match of the Year' would be an understatement. This was an epic story, a night destined to live on in the collective memory of European football; one of those matches you’re happy to watch again and again, and that gets passed down through generations.
But to truly understand it, you have to go back a week, to the first leg played at Montjuic, because nights like these don’t just happen out of nowhere.
At the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, it ended 3-3, but with the feeling of an unfinished novel. Inter struck early, with a brilliant backheel from Marcus Thuram and a powerful scissor kick from Denzel Dumfries, two goals that seemed to set the tone for the semi-final.
But Barcelona responded with pure talent: Lamine Yamal lit up the stadium with one of his impossible goals - a left-footed shot that defied physics - before Ferran Torres brought things level.
In the second half, Inter struck again through Dumfries, but then Raphinha's effort bounced in off Yann Sommer’s back before crossing the line. Was that the end? Not even close! Who could forget Henrikh Mkhitaryan's goal, only to be ruled out by VAR for a matter of millimetres?
Match of the Year: Goals, Drama, Football
With all that emotion in the air, on May 6th, San Siro became the stage for one of those unforgettable, magical nights that have made this sport legendary. Inter started strong, just like in the first leg: Lautaro Martinez opened the scoring, and Hakan Calhanoglu doubled the lead from the penalty spot.
It looked like the same script, with Barcelona refusing to give in and once again finding answers in the courage and magic of Lamine. Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo both scored with headers to bring the match level, and only Sommer prevented the Rocafonda prodigy from sealing the game early, denying him a place on the scoresheet.
But with just three minutes left, not even the Swiss keeper could stop Raphinha’s effort that completed the comeback: 3-2 Barca, and a stunned, silent Meazza witnessed the Nerazzurri’s dream seemingly shatter. Yet it was at that very moment that the match entered legend status. That’s when the story became epic.
Stoppage time... last play. Inter won the ball back with Dumfries. Barcelona appealed for a foul on Gerard Martin, but in Europe, those challenges rarely get called. The ball was played low into the box, and it wasn't Martinez but Thuram, or Mehdi Taremi who got there, but Francesco Acerbi - the tough-as-nails Nerazzurri centre-back, was moving like a true striker.
A sharp run, a fierce and precise finish that flew in under the crossbar, Wojciech Szczęsny was beaten, Barca were floored.
Frattesi’s Roar
It wasn’t just a great goal; it was a goal for the ages. The San Siro erupted, and the emotional momentum swept everything away, even Barcelona, who were left somewhere between disbelief and exhaustion.
So, it went to extra time, where the epic demanded - no, insisted on - one last chapter. And it was Davide Frattesi who wrote it, making it 4-3 and sending Inter to the final, giving football another iconic image: climbing towards his fans, screaming to the sky, his voice lost in the night.
It’s the snapshot of a match and a tie that had it all: skill, mistakes, greatness, despair, and joy. Inter vs Barca wasn’t just a Champions League semi-final second leg, but a perfect novel, written and told in the most heartbreaking way for the Blaugrana, but the most wonderful for the Nerazzurri.
