Inter Milan, Tuesday clawed back from the brink and then delivered the knockout blow in extra time, edging Barcelona 4-3 on the night and 7-6 on aggregate in a Champions League semi-final for the ages.
Francesco Acerbi’s injury-time equalizer cracked the door open. Davide Frattesi’s 99th-minute strike kicked it off the hinges.
Barcelona, chasing their first final in a decade, were seconds from glory after Raphinha’s 88th-minute goal put them ahead 3-2 on the night.
But Inter, Serie A’s reigning kings, refused to die.
Acerbi rose to the moment with a towering header in stoppage time, sending the tie to extra time before Frattesi, fresh off the bench, drilled in the winner amid San Siro chaos.
The match had begun with Inter in full control.
Lautaro Martinez buried the opener in the 21st minute, and Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s ice-cold penalty in first-half stoppage time gave the hosts a 2-0 cushion.
With the aggregate swinging Inter’s way, Barcelona responded in kind.
Eric Garcia pulled one back in the 54th, Dani Olmo added another on the hour mark, and Raphinha’s strike looked set to complete a stunning comeback.
Even Lamine Yamal came inches from sealing it, smacking the post with a curling effort that would’ve broken Nerazzurri hearts. Instead, it was Inter’s night.
The 13-goal slugfest matched the highest-scoring semi-final in Champions League history, tying Liverpool and Roma’s 2018 shootout. Inter now march into their seventh European final – chasing a fourth crown after triumphs in 1964, 1965, and 2010.
They await the winner of Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, with PSG holding a slender 1-0 edge ahead of Wednesday’s second leg in Paris.
For Barcelona, the pain runs deep. Their treble dreams – alive after a Copa del Rey win and La Liga lead – took a crushing blow. Real Madrid await in a weekend Clasico that could now define their season.
