The game: without tail or head
Where to start? Six goals go, seven back. Two teams engaged in roller coasters capable of the worst and best, this return semi-final was without tail or head. Inter first stifled the Catalans during a first one -way period when Lautaro Martinez, even on a leg, did everything. And at this precise moment of this double confrontation, you had to be damn crazy to believe in a return from Barça.
But the second period was one -way. Frenkie de Jong and Pedri reigned on the lawn, Lamine Yamal finally found the light and the release of Di Marco, a great bodyguard of the brilliant kid, from the 55th minute, reversed the balance of power. And when Raphinha swung her victorious volley in the 87th minute, you had to be completely crazy to believe when Milanese wakes up absent for 45 minutes.
But Francesco Acerbi and his 37 years have chosen to support one last against and plant a center-forward goal to score his first goal in the career League. The match switched to the irrational in a Giuseppe-Meazza that has become a volcano. Davide Frattesi in overtime frames the 9th Italian strike from this semi-final to score the 13th and last goal of a crazy semi-final.
Players: improbable heroes
We were waiting for Lamine Yamal, we had Eric Garcia and Francesco Acerbi. The side of Barça scored, delivered a fantastic center to put the Catalans back in the race. Acerbi scored the most unlikely goal in the evening and Yann Sommer took care of the rest. When doing the accounts, we must not forget the three fantastic parades of the Swiss against Yamal.
Lautaro Martinez, a scorer on one leg, also caused a penalty against a Pau Cubarsi exceeded by events. Too passive on the goal of qualification, the marvel of Barça cost dearly on an action where Marcus Thuram spread his class. Araujo, wait-and-see on the goal of 4-3, missed his back to school. Di Marco, he has long held a discreet yamal and then incisive and finally flamboyant. But Sommer was finally the most effective anti-yamal weapon.
But if it was necessary to elect the man from this qualification, it would undoubtedly be of Denzel Dumfries involved on five of the nine goals of the Inter with a goal and four assists.
-To the state: 13
With 13 goals in two matches, this inter-barça joins the Liverpool-AS Rome of 2017/2018 as the most prolific semi-final in history.
The declaus: Eric Garcia (FC Barcelona)
football was very cruel to us.
The question: is it the largest semi-final of the century?
It was not just an avalanche of goals but first of all a summit of emotions. The Inter was seen six feet underground, Barça thought he was going down the first 45 minutes in a scenario similar to the first leg. Each miracle has its cathedral and the Meazza on Tuesday was up to the event. Of course, it will be difficult to swallow but it is impossible to blame FC Barcelona which has never stopped insisting, which has never been denied and which was the main reason why this semi-final has always played on a wire.
Each of the 210 minutes of this confrontation was crossed by a thrill. The tension has never left 22 men totally engaged in a collective masterpiece. Each recovery gave birth to a potential dangerous situation because they gave their bodies and souls to total football.
Is it the largest semi-final in history? Difficult to answer the question but it has its place among the other monuments: the qualification of Barça in Chelsea with the goal at the last minute of Iniesta in 2009, the Folle raised Liverpool against Barcelona in 2019, the hat -trick of Lucas (Tottenham) in Amsterdam in 2019 and, among others, José Mourinho who crosses all the Camp The Grand Barça de Guardiola.
Semi-finals that we remember forever. And this one, no one is ready to forget it.
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