Barcelona, May 1 (H.S.): In the first leg of the Champions League 2024-25 semi-final played on Wednesday between Barcelona and Inter Milan, fans witnessed an incredible thrill. While Inter Milan managed to take the lead twice, Barcelona made a spectacular comeback both times to finish the match at 3-3. In this high-voltage encounter, young Lamine Yamal scored a historic goal and hit the crossbar twice.

The match started explosively. Inter Milan’s Marcus Thuram scored a brilliant backheel goal just 30 seconds into the match, making it the fastest goal in Champions League semi-final history. After that, Denzel Dumfries converted a corner into a goal with a leap, giving Inter a strong 2-0 lead.

However, Barcelona did not give up. The team’s 16-year-old star Yamal scored a fantastic solo effort in his 100th club match, showing the team a path to comeback. This goal made him the youngest player to score in a Champions League semi-final. Yamal outpaced Thuram, fooled Mkhitaryan, and then slotted the ball into the net from the left post.

In the 38th minute of the first half, Pedri’s pass was headed forward by Raphinha, and Ferran Torres reacted to the pass, scoring from close range to level the score at 2-2. However, in the second half, Dumfries once again scored with a header, which went in after hitting Olmo, giving Inter the lead for the third time.

Inter’s lead did not last long. Yamal’s corner was met with a powerful shot from Raphinha from the edge of the box, which hit the crossbar and struck goalkeeper Sommer’s head, going into the goal. This own goal leveled the score at 3-3.

In the final minutes of the match, Yamal took another fantastic shot that struck the crossbar. Ultimately, the match ended in a draw. Now, the second leg of this thrilling tie will be played next Tuesday in Milan, where the winner will face Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal in the final on May 31 in Munich.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar