Milan, May 7 (H.S.): Inter Milan secured a place in the final by defeating Barcelona 4-3 in an exciting encounter that went into extra time during the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 on Tuesday night. In the combined score of the two legs, Inter won 7-6.

In this match played in the rain of Milan, Italy midfielder Davide Frattesi scored the winning goal in the 99th minute. This seventh goal of his proved to be the most important of the season, and the San Siro Stadium erupted in celebration.

Revitalized this season, now just one step away from the title

Simone Inzaghi’s team will face either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain in the final, which will take place in Munich at the end of this month. This match became a turning point for Inter, as they had already been knocked out of the Italian Cup and were lagging behind Napoli in the Serie A race.

After being 2-0 down in the first half, Barcelona made a tremendous comeback. Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo scored to level the score at 2-2. Then in the 88th minute, Raphinha scored to give Barcelona a 3-2 lead. However, in injury time, Francesco Acerbi scored from Denzel Dumfries’ cross, sending the match into extra time.

Inter’s Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer made several crucial saves at key moments. He thwarted attempts from Eric Garcia and Lamine Yamal, keeping Inter’s hopes alive in the match.

Now, Inter Milan has reached the Champions League final for the second time in two years and stands once again on the brink of wearing the European crown.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar