Chijioke Gabriel
Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi has hailed his lad’s sterling performance, saying they deserved to be in this season’s UEFA Champions League final after an epic encounter against Barcelona at the San Siro on Tuesday night.
It was another dramatic night of intense football after the 4-3 in Montjuic, as Inter were leading 2-0 on the night with Lautaro Martinez and a Hakan Calhanoglu penalty.
But Barcelona turned it around to lead 3-2 with Eric Garcia, Dani Olmo and Raphinha.
However, Francesco Acerbi forced extra time at the 93rd minute with his first ever Champions League goal at the age of 37, after which Davide Frattesi struck to secure the 4-3 victory, 7-6 on aggregate.
“We tried to play it with our strengths. We were never presumptuous, we gave it our all and deserved to reach the Final,” said Inzaghi.
“We must compliment Barcelona too, because they are truly a strong opponent.
“It required a super Inter, so I praise my lads for putting in two incredible performances over the two legs. It was the only way to reach the Final. I am so proud to be their coach, as they gave it everything and those who came off the bench had the right attitude too.
“They should enjoy every moment in front of these fans, we are truly happy. They were exemplary. I told the players to believe, that we could try to limit Barcelona, even though it wasn’t easy to do.
“We had Lautaro, Dumfries and Frattesi who were not 100 per cent fit, so we had to use our hearts to push through every obstacle.
”Inter will now wait for the winner of the second semi-finals between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.
The French Ligue 1 champions will go into the tie with a 1-0 advantage from the first leg scored by Ousmane Dembele.
Dembele limped off in the team’s first meeting with a suspected hamstring injury but has been passed fit for the visit of Mikel Arteta’s men.
Winners of tonight’s encounter will face Inter Milan at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on 31 May 2025. Kick-off time is 8pm Nigerian time.
