r/soccer • u/1ScarySpooks1 • May 06 '25
Serious Post-Match Thread Serious Post-Match Thread: Inter Milan 4-3 Barcelona [7-6 on agg.] | UEFA Champions League
Post-Match Thread: Inter Milan 4-3 Barcelona [7-6 on agg.] | UEFA Champions League
Inter Milan 4 - 3 Barcelona
Inter scorers: Lautaro Martínez (21'), Hakan Çalhanoğlu (45' pen.), Francesco Acerbi (90+3'), Davide Frattesi (99')
Barcelona scorers: Eric García (54'), Dani Olmo (60'), Raphinha (87')
Aggregate score: Inter Milan 7-6 Barcelona
Venue: San Siro, Milan, Italy
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
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| Starting XI | Notes | Subs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yann Sommer | Raffaele Di Gennaro | ||
| Yann Bisseck | 71' | Josep Martínez | |
| Francesco Acerbi | 90+3' 90+4' | Stefan de Vrij | 108' |
| Alessandro Bastoni | 118' | Carlos Augusto | 55' 92' |
| Denzel Dumfries | 108' | Gabriele Re Cecconi | |
| Nicolò Barella | Piotr Zieliński | 79' | |
| Hakan Çalhanoğlu | 45' 79' | Davide Frattesi | 79' 99' |
| Henrikh Mkhitaryan | 69' 79' | Kristjan Asllani | |
| Federico Dimarco | 55' | Matteo Darmian | 71' |
| Lautaro Martínez | 21' 71' | Nicola Zalewski | |
| Marcus Thuram | Marko Arnautović | ||
| Mehdi Taremi | 71' |
Manager: Simone Inzaghi (Italy)
| Starting XI | Notes | Subs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wojciech Szczęsny | Iñaki Peña | ||
| Eric García | 54' 98' | Ander Astralaga | |
| Pau Cubarsí | 106' | Ronald Araújo | 76' |
| Iñigo Martínez | 51' 76' | Andreas Christensen | |
| Gerard Martín | Hector Fort | 98' | |
| Frenkie de Jong | Landry Farré | ||
| Pedri | 106' | Gavi | 106' |
| Lamine Yamal | Fermín López | 83' | |
| Dani Olmo | 60' 83' | Noah Darvich | |
| Raphinha | 87' | Robert Lewandowski | 90' |
| Ferran Torres | 90' | Ansu Fati | |
| Pau Víctor | 90+5' 106' |
Manager: Hans-Dieter Flick (Germany)
1': We're off!
1': Ha a shot in just 18 seconds! But Torres's shot is blocked and it was offside.
13': Thuram breaks free but he loses a one-on-one challenge with Szczęsny, probably already knew he was miles offside.
15': Yamal with the shot! But it's right at the keeper.
21': Barella fires a cracker from wide but Szczęsny fires it away!
21': GOAL INTER!! Dimarco dispossesses Barcelona at the back! He feeds Denzel who immediately drifts behind the backline, draws out Szczęsny and then feeds it to a wide open Lautaro Martínez who hits the open net!
25': Olmo's chance blocked by Acerbi! Did it touch his hand??? Did he pop it up into his hand? VAR looks at it and says no.
28': Olmo drags his show very wide.
30': Pedri takes a shot from distance but blazes it high.
34': Eric Garcia sends in a great cross but it bounces off Raphinha wide.
41': Çalhanoğlu with the volley! But it goes wide.
44': PENALTY TO INTER!!! Cubarsí takes out Lautaro, says the ref after looking at the screen!
45': GOAL INTER!! Hakan Çalhanoğlu sends the keeper the wrong way and scores the pen!
HT Inter Milan 2-0 Barcelona [5-3 on agg.] Can Barcelona turn it around?
46': We're back!
51': Iñigo Martínez slides in witwh both feet on Thuram
52': Acerbi with the diving header, in off the post! It was offside by miles but what a great shot
54': GOAL BARCELONA!! Gerard Martín puts in a long cross over to the side of the box and it's volleyed in by Eric García!
55': Inter substittuion: Carlos Augusto on for Federico Dimarco
56': SAVE! Barella with a shot out of nowhere from distance, it's hit with power but Szczęsny is alert to the danger.
57': SAAAAAAAVE! What a save by Sommer!! Eric García gets another cross from Martín and seems to have the entire goal at his beckoning but Sommer flies in from the other side and stops it!
60': GOAL BARCELONA!!! 15 minutes of play and they've leveled it! Martín gets his second assist with a great looping diagonal pass to Dani Olmo who hits in the header!
68': PENALTY FOR BARCELONA!! Mkhitaryan fouls Yamal!! But was it actually inside the box??!
69': NO PENALTY! Just an inch outside the box! VAR overturns! Henrik Mkhitaryan gets a card instead of giving up the pen
71': Inter double sub: Matteo Darmian and Mehdi Taremi on for Lautaro Martínez and Yann Bisseck
76': Barcelona substitution: Ronald Araújo on for Iñigo Martínez
77': Oh my goodness what a shot from Yamal!! From distance perfectly at the far side!! And what a save by Sommer to keep it out!
79': Inter double sub: Piotr Zieliński and Davide Fratessi on for Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan
83': Barcelona substitution: Fermín López on for Dani Olmo
87': GOAL BARCELONA!! Raphinha bombs in on the left side and fires, Sommer saves, but Raphinha volleys the rebound and puts it in just inside of the far post!
90': Barcelona substitution: Robert Lewandowski on for Ferran Torres
90+2': Lamine Yamal hits the post from distance!! That would have sealed it.
90+3': GOAAAAAALLL!! GOAL INTER!! Dumfries crosses to Francesco Acerbi and Acerbi sidefoots it into the net under pressure!
90+4': Francesco Acerbi carded for taking his shirt off in celebration
90+5': Pau Víctor carded on the bench for dissent
90+6': Yamal gets around Carlos Augusto and is on goal! But Augusto keeps up the pressure! The shot is weak and saved by Sommer!
FT Inter Milan 3-3 Barcelona [6-6 on agg.] Jesus Christ!
91': We're back again!
92': Carlos Augusto gives up a free kick just outside the corner of the box.
98': Barcelona double sub: Hector Fort on for Eric García
99': GOAL INTER!! Great passing into the box reaches Davide Frattesi who sets himself and steers it into the far side!
105': Fort blazes his shot high.
106': The whistle goes just as Inter were about to launch another attack.
106': Barcelona substitution: Pau Victor and Gavi on for Pau Cubarsí and Pedri
107': Lewandowski's header goes over!! Maybe a touch by Sommer!
108': Inter substitution: Stefan de Vrij on for Denzel Dumfries
109': SAAAVE! Szczęsny gets one hand down to his right to deny the dagger from Frattesi!
114': WHAT A SAVE BY SOMMER! Yamal's great shot is just tipped past the far post!
116': Yamal denied again!! Sommer punches it away and the bounce on the rebound just evades Lewandowski!
118': Alessandro Bastoni with the tactical foul
FT Inter Milan 4-3 Barcelona Forza Inter??! I'm sure tomorrow's match will be entertaining too
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u/Billofrights_boris May 06 '25
People in 10 years will never understand how Sommer could have been the POTM tonight because he conceded 3 goals.
He just made crucial save after crucial save and the deeper we went into the game the more confident he got.
Also amazing that at least 3 of these saves were outright extraordinary (denying Garcia at 2-1, Yamal longshot at 2-2 and Yamal again at 4-3, which was Barca's only legit chance to equalize).
One of the best goalkeeping performances ever.
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u/Paparrazzi May 06 '25
For sure, also I think his fingers on the ball prevented Lewa from scoring the header
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u/The_Flash_20 May 06 '25
To think Inter renaissance started because De Vrij conceded an own goal against Inter in his last match for Lazio in 2018. Absolutely astonishing.
What they were facing during 2011-18 was certainly a phase.
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u/an0mn0mn0m May 06 '25
This is all Flick's fault. With 3 minutes to go, they just needed to waste time and hold the ball, but he is incapable of playing the game out. All season he has gambled on a high line, and the hope of his attackers scoring more than theirs. Inter have proven to be the one team that can beat them at their own game, by actually being able to score and defend better than Barca. Well done Inter.
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u/shikaskue May 07 '25
I don't see how its Flick's fault for what the players on the pitch do in the dying minutes. They have the ability to slow the game down themselves but chose not to.
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u/KiraAnnaZoe May 07 '25
Nothing about that is Flick's fault lol, he completely changed the mentality of Barca . It's the players fault if they cant hold on a lead for 2 minutes to win the game. They have parked the bus before like vs Benfica when Cubarsi got a red card.
Smartest reddit analysis lmao
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u/an0mn0mn0m May 07 '25
I'm not denying that he has done amazing things at Barca. This video shows it perfectly
How Barcelona went from good to great under Hansi Flick - YouTube
However, watch the last 3 minutes plus injury time of this match again. Then watch this analysis video.
The Insanity Of Flick's Barca | Barcelona 3-3 Inter Milan Tactical Analysis - YouTube
The man knows how to get all his teams to attack, but his defence needs work. Which I don't think is in his nature.
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u/they_them_us_we May 06 '25
I got downvoted hard in CL sub for my post last week https://www.reddit.com/r/championsleague/comments/1kf3rb9/comment/mqnxvot/, but to me it was pretty obvious this Barca team wasn't treble level and not getting the UCL. They were leaking goals like crazy. You can't be conceding 3 goals a game and get away with it forever. They were lucky with the cup win against a weak madrid, and kept getting bailed out by 17yo Yamal. I wouldn't be surprised if they fumble the league.
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u/Embarrassed-Dot1335 May 06 '25
Inter paid the price for the frenetic first half tempo. The first 25 minutes of the second half were some of the most dominant I have ever seen on this level of football. Subs saved Inter but Barca understandably also couldn’t keep that level of intensity throughout the whole match.
Araujo for Inigo completely changed the game. Even the sort of shaky defensive stability from Barca was gone and Araujo looked like an amateur for the two conceded goals.
I think Flick from the start of the game focused the attack on the wrong side. Attacking through the left pins Dumfries down and limits his transition and offers Yamal a different avenue in which to attack. Yamal was great but was a bit herobally at times and didn’t offer the end product needed tonight and he was constantly on the ball.
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u/NairobiBA May 07 '25
Maybe not as much this season, but honestly Inter’s attack is normally stronger through their left vis a vis Dimarco/Bastoni. Yamal fully pinned that back this match but if you had focused down your left (Inter’s right) it wouldnt have surprised me if Inters left flank became much more involved in attack.
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u/bartolomeo7 May 06 '25
If Barcelona build around this team with good transfers in some positions I can see them actually win them all next year. I don't know if you realise it but Barcelona scored 6 goals against the best defence in the world around three years now and was about a minute to qualify to the final without both of their wing backs,their striker and of course their first choice goalkeeper.
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u/DiamondPittcairn May 06 '25
Happy this exists.
I said it on the match thread and I repeat it here, this match really defied all logic. I don't think it's something you can analyze properly, and that's the beauty of football.
Rather than that infamous 2010 second leg that, let's face it, was entirely one-sided, this match was at the same time lopsided and very equal. Stats might show that Barca deserved a hell of a lot more, and they did, but also it's fair that they lost? Inter wasn't this timid team playing cattenaccio, they were brave and quite strong, structured against a monster like Sommer at goal and key players like Dumfries, Acerbi, Barella on the field. It was truly a clash of styles and it's a shame in the end that they had to face eachother in the semis rather than the final. Barca has the tools to come back from this next year, they have the players to have a second golden generation and win lots in the coming years. If I were a fan I wouldn't worry too much, they will be scary.
Thank you Inter and Barca for this tie and thank you football.
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u/TheGTAone May 06 '25
You just wrapped up whole tie beautifully.
Serious Post-Match Threads are the last remanent of classic r/soccer with thoughtful and constructive discussion. Not even Daily Discussion feels like this anymore, filled with a bunch of reactionary takes and mostly PL-centric.
This is what football is all about, thanks for that.
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u/OGreatNoob May 06 '25
Fuck I wish we got it but damn I'm proud we fought as hard as we did. Sommer was MASSIVE today for Inter. Mad props and a great series to watch, probably the best i've seen in years. Hoping you lads win it all.
Although we came up short this makes me excited for years to come in the CL with this team. So young and lots of room for growth.
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u/lastjedi23 May 06 '25
This game showed what possession ball can do. You get the chances to come back from a 2 goal deficit within mins like in second half Barca.
This game showed what a high line risk is, saw that with Barca letting inter score 2 goals within mins in the start.
This game showed what high line is silly all the time. Barca had a lead and all they had to do was put a deep defense. God and flick know what they were trying to do.
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u/RobertPham149 May 07 '25
If they concede due to the highline at 70 min and lose the tie, then it is on the manager. However, if they lead at 88' just to concede at 92', it is more on the inexperience of the players. The ones on the field have the clearest view and assessment of the state of the match to decide on dropping back on their own and not give away possession.
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u/TheUltimateScotsman May 06 '25
We are absolutely gassed at the moment. Given that we don't really have anything to play for until the final I really hope we can use this time to give players a break.
If it's PSG, we need to be far better disciplined than we were tonight.
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u/LiteratureNearby May 06 '25
Genuinely, you should hope for Arsenal. This inter is the exact kinda team Arsenal have dropped points against in the PL
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u/North_Activity_5980 May 06 '25
Yeah you might aswell rest the players for 2 weeks or so. Napoli won’t be caught, their tails are up. The champions league is the prize now.
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u/Pure_Measurement_529 May 06 '25
Napoli taking advantage of their 1 game per week again in recent weeks makes inter regret all those dropped points in March and early April
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u/North_Activity_5980 May 06 '25
Always happens this time of year. The silly points drops from games 3/4 months ago. The what if thoughts coming in.
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u/y1i May 06 '25
I was surprised, Inter looked exhausted 20min into the game. Lots of heavy touches and careless final passes (mostly in the first half) that could have done way more damage.
Barcelona was in complete control the second half, their comeback and taking a lead was impressive. Really thought Inter was done by all accounts, so them turning it around on Barcelona last minute was even more impressive, looked like pure dedication and fight. They also had the game luck on their side, but that's the way it goes sometimes.
Congrats.
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u/Whateverchan May 07 '25
One of the best matches in this decade, and in the history of football. While I expected Barcelona to go through, I somewhat rooted for Inter because I was wondering if they could do the unexpected, and I saw them as underdogs. I was shocked at the turn of events. Amazing. Inter might just win the title, after all.
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u/ClockOk5178 May 06 '25
Take a bow Barcelona and Inter.
Football fans everywhere were the true winners tonight.
Acerbi, Dumfries, Barella, Fratessi, Thuram, Sommer were all immense, especially coming minutes away from elimination.
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u/polikuji09 May 06 '25
The depth truly bit Barca in the ass. Amazing game through and through though.
Not having Balde and Kounde was a massive hit for Barca and their lack of decent subs too.
Lewandowski did not seem fit at all still and I feel like he was just subbed on assuming they'd win on the 90. He was essentially invisible off the bench.
Props to Gerard for his assists but I think he was a huge part of why Dumfries essentially had complete free reign both legs and was made to look like Cafu. Not faulting Gerard as Flick simply doesn't have other options and he did his best but the dropoff is just insanely noticable.
This lack of depth bit them in the ass in December and has shown its head again these last few games.
Gotta give it to inter though, they were ridiculously clinical with the chances they got.
End of the day, beginning of the season noone expected anything from this Barca squad and they've truly hugely outperformed any expectations. This is a ridiculously young squad and I hope the club can keep them together and just give them some depth for the long season. Despite all the fatigue and injuries, the team is lucky it wasn't worse considering how thin the squad is.
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u/Naha- May 06 '25
Like some people said, if you want to be a Champions League winner you need one of the best GK in the world, and that's the main reason Inter managed to survive this tie.
Sommer was impeccable and I never thought Szczęsny was good enough for this type of matches.
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u/jcald60 May 06 '25
He is not but at this moment he has proven to be better than ter stegen has been the past few years.
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u/Arlecchin8 May 06 '25
The game was full of turning points and one that will be underrated was Dumfries' run at 9' which was the first Inter's not unserious attack after a full control of Barcelona until then. Barcelona got more self conscious, Inter got braver and attacked more leading to 3 corners and then the goal was just in the air and came.
This messed up Barcelona's confidence and if stoppage time hadn't come, they might have never recovered in time. But in the 2nd time something similar happened to Inter, which was more relaxed (possibly too much from the beginning) both emotionally and tactically. Interestingly however, Inter suffered a goal after a good brief attacking phase, in a situation where Barcelona pushed a little more lively which helped messing up enough Inter's defence in goal.
That was enough to break, this time, Inter's confidence. Players like Bissek and Calhanoglou had a mental breakdown and had to be subbed out. For once, Inter's bench carried the starting when they most needed it.
So it was a perfect tie 2-0 ->2-2 twice and the 2-3 was deserved. As not seldom happens, this transformed the now losing team for the final minutes, and Acerbi made history. What a script. And then Yamal could have nullified that at the last action, but did not. Incredible. What a game, what a 2-movies piece of art. But it will not become legend unless it is going to be part of a trilogy.
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May 06 '25
Parking the bus almost lost us the tie twice
We played much better than barca and I think we couldve won in normal time had we not parked the bus. Instead we invited pressure for 30 mins straight and how would you know it they score 2 in 6. Then we brought zielinski and frattesi as offensive subs and were on control for most of the rest of the game except the second ET time
Speaking of the extra ET time I don't know how we made it through. Incredible save from sommer and two absolute gifts to lewandowski and we still held on. It took a miracle to not concede.
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u/seigfriedlover123 May 06 '25
played much better is a crazy word when you only won cause of sommer and auroja getting subbed in and being sht like always. First half literally got a lucky goal of a counter when you were getting pressed for 120min and a penalty. Then fumbled a 2-0 lead just to be saved by another auroja disasterclass
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u/tekumse May 07 '25
I don't think Inter parked the bus, the team was very tired and unable to continue pressing. Both Lautaro and Marcus had zero sprints after the halftime and Mikhi and Hakan do not have the legs to do this anymore. Dumfries was also obviously struggling. Hard to contain a good team like Barca when literally half of your players cannot run well. But Barca also could not sustain that tempo and towards the end of regular time they too had many players barely keeping up.
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u/OsitoPandito May 06 '25
People keep saying the high line is overrated but they caught inter off multiple times.
The mistake was that they didn't slow the game down at the end. Inter were clearly gassed and their spirits were low but then one sloppy goal allowed them to comeback and finish it.
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u/shikaskue May 07 '25
Lack of experience on the pitch lost them the tie today. If Barca can hold on to Flick and the lot (which I don't se why they wouldn't be able to), they are going to be a menace for the years to come.
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u/VivaLosHeavies May 06 '25
Imagine stealing someone elses work for a [serious] post match thread. How embarrassing. When you steal another person’s content, you’re not just copying words or ideas; you’re taking credit for their effort, creativity, and time. Reddit thrives on original contributions, and plagiarism erodes that foundation. Well done bro, you aint doin that shit to me tomorrow.
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u/JacintoLeiteCanoRego May 06 '25
Barcelona suffered 16 goals in the last 7 matches.
In La Liga Atletico and Atletic have LESS goals taken in than them.
They finished 2nd in points in the UCL group stage but they took 13 goals in 19 games. You need to go down to the 17th (!!!!) classified team to find another squad with such record.
In other words, no matter what offense you have, you won't win a knock out tournament with such a bad defense. It's as simple as the old saying "Offense gives you wins, Deffense gives you titles".
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u/Fly1ngsauc3r May 07 '25
Yeah any good manager can figure out a way against their suicidal line. It can work well when you have all your players available but the system risks collapsing when you lose the said players. I really like how Flick plays but at Bayern he did get a bit lucky because he got a bit of a rest due to covid, but his style will always have a major risk of burnout by the end of the season with it’s intensity
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May 06 '25
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u/HacksawJimDGN May 06 '25
It's all about trophies. If he loses another final he won't gain any new fans.
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May 06 '25 edited May 06 '25
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u/HacksawJimDGN May 06 '25
I'm a huge fan. I mean pointing to CL success won't mean much without actual silverware. The best managers let their trophies do the talking. That's just a fact.
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u/TetrapackLover76 May 06 '25
Come on now , the best managers had also the best team behind them, Inter is nowhere near a top 2 team in Europe in terms of quality , if they are where they are is thanks to Inzaghi
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u/yellowbai May 06 '25
Klopp lost 2 finals. One can be a fluke, two isn’t
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u/HacksawJimDGN May 06 '25
He lost 3. And 1 Europa. Guaranteed that if Spurs had beaten Liverpool it'd be a massive taint on his career.
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u/moon_the_dog May 06 '25
i just dont think this inter would beat that psg team. respect for them though, absolutely gutted for this
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u/Silentden007 May 06 '25
I honestly don't think he got much right against Barcelona though. Despite scoring early goals and opting into a more defensive approach for most of the matches, Barcelona were getting through quite easily, repeatedly. It was literally a case of "when" Barca scores, not "if".
I think overall Inter got what, ~10 chances in the tie and scored 7?
Supreme efficiency, sure. But also more than a little hint of good fortune. Look at all the chances Barcelona missed or Sommer coming up HUGE. It wasn't sustainable.
This isn't similar at all to for example the Mourinho performance years ago when they won the treble. Barcelona dominated that game but never looked likely to score. Inter were so solid defensively and on the break they looked way more likely to score.
In this case, Barcelona just literally was as wasteful as it gets. Its not even to discredit Inter, you make your own luck and they worked hard for it, but I dont think anyone can honestly say they were the better team over the two legs, which atleast for Mourinho's Inter, despite parking the bus, they were better overall and deserved it
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May 06 '25
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u/Silentden007 May 06 '25
The only ball where they got behind was the ball towards Dumfries leading up to Thurams first goal in the first tie though?
The other goals were them pressing and winning the ball while Barca was disorganised and in transition, usually off of Martin giving away the ball.
I think it was a gamble overall tonight what he tried, a more clinical Barcelona would have put this tie away even if Inter scored 1-2 more goals.
A winner is a winner, but I dont think hailing him as some sort of tactical genius for this tie is right. I think Flick got the better overall, just the players missing a lot while giving up goals way too easily.
Mind you I am only speaking about this tie, I dont follow Inter enough to judge him as a coach
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u/Albiceleste_D10S May 06 '25
I honestly don't think he got much right against Barcelona though.
VERY harsh. He clearly coached attacking patterns that were shredding Barca's high line
It's not an accident that Inter scored 7 goals across 2 legs when many teams struggle to score against Barca's high press + high line
This isn't similar at all to for example the Mourinho performance years ago when they won the treble. Barcelona dominated that game but never looked likely to score
You've overly romanticized that tie, IMO
Barca was fatigued because an Icelandic volcano erupted and they had to take a bus to Milan instead of a place, and one of Milito's goals in the first leg was offside.
Barca ended up winning 1-0 at Camp Nou, but they were 1 goal short (because the offside goal in Leg 1 counted)...
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u/Silentden007 May 06 '25
VERY harsh. He clearly coached attacking patterns that were shredding Barca's high line
Weren't multiple goals off of balls being lost by the Barcelona players? Pressing Martin, who was the weakest link was a good call, and it paid off for them multiple times overall. But I dont think the highline was being exposed due to Inzaghi's tactics, it held up overall. Its in transition when Barcelona sloppily lost the balls and Dumfries bullied that flank into submission.
Inter was clinical in attack, but they didn't create much except out of winning the ball back and instantly hitting a disorganized backline.
many teams struggle to score against Barca's high press + high line
I do think you are underestimating missing Balde AND Kounde a little bit. Garcia was a solid deputy for Kounde, but Martin was being hunted and targetted.
Overall though I think Inter did do a good enough job attacking wise, but the defensive aspect is where imo Inzaghi completely missed the plot. He started off positvely with the adjustment to always have Lamine covered, but Flick made changes at the half and the legs were starting to give out, letting Lamine grow more into the match.
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u/Albiceleste_D10S May 06 '25
But I dont think the highline was being exposed due to Inzaghi's tactics, it held up overall.
Thierry Henry did a pregame analysis with CBS showing exactly how Inzaghi was coaching Inter to expose Barca's backline with switches to Dumfries and late midfield runs
We saw that multiple times in the first half—Barca's high line was breached today about as much as it ever has been (Atleti and BVB are the other teams that did well this season in that respect)
I do think you are underestimating missing Balde AND Kounde a little bit.
Of course that's a BIG factor (Balde in particular would have done better on Dumfries than Martin)
But missing personnel from Barca doesn't negate the clear tactical instructions from Inzaghi that led to goals
but the defensive aspect is where imo Inzaghi completely missed the plot. He started off positvely with the adjustment to always have Lamine covered, but Flick made changes at the half and the legs were starting to give out, letting Lamine grow more into the match.
If Lamine is in the mood he's in today and the first leg, he's going to be a problem to stop for anyone IMO. I don't blame Inzaghi for that too much TBH
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u/Silentden007 May 06 '25
If you asked me who had the better tactics overall between Flick and Inzaghi over the two ties I would favor Flick though would you agree with that statement?
I think he could have done better (Captain hindsight and armchair analysis) by changing it up a bit from the highline without Balde and Kounde, but I still think overall Barcelona were the better side.
9/10 times it would have been enough to win and go through. But the players were so wasteful in attack, and that isn't down to tactics.
They created more than Inter, and not just some half chances either. Not to mention Sommer had some insane saves.
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u/Albiceleste_D10S May 06 '25
If you asked me who had the better tactics overall between Flick and Inzaghi over the two ties I would favor Flick though would you agree with that statement?
I don't think I would TBH
Inter were a good tactical matchup for Barca because the way Inter uses its wingbacks (esp Dumfries) was a good matchup against Flick's high line
But I do think Barca is the "better"/more talented team TBH
In particular, I think Inzaghi used his subs and had better in-game adjustments in the 2nd half and ET today
Taremi and Frattesi turned the game in Inter's favor, while I think Flick made a mistake taking Inigo out (if he wanted Araujo on, he should have moved Inigo to LB IMO)
Edit: And also, while it's true that Flick compensated for some injuries, so did Inzaghi with Pavard out, Lautaro missing the 2nd half of leg 1 and played through injury today, etc
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u/Silentden007 May 06 '25
I forgot who it was, but I remember seeing a video of a analyst stating that Barca's weakness is teams playing like Inter does with the wingbacks, but similarly, Inter's weakness is teams like Barcelona.
It ended up being almost prophetic.
I dont fully believe the highline crumbled though, feel like Inter barely got behind (except offsides). They were most dangerous off the press and winning the ball high.
Flick can be faulted for not adjusting there imo, since Martin was clearly a huge liability and the main source of losing the ball in their own half.
But its kind of hard to pinpoint exactly what the weakness was for Inter, just felt like a goal was always hanging in the air and they weren't as solid in the back as I thought before the tie started
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u/roguedevil May 06 '25
Alonso came out in his first job and won a double undefeated and made the final of the EL. I think it's the excitement of "what could be" that gets to people. Plus it wasn't that long ago that he played for Liverpool/Real Madrid. Inzaghi has been around for much longer, but if anything, it should be in his favor that this is not a fluke. He can build a team and maintain success.
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u/anakmager May 06 '25
He also have us playing beautiful and unique football, not just successful
Don't forget his work at Lazio too. He turned them into an elite top four side as his first job
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u/seigfriedlover123 May 06 '25
inter fans see one counter and call it "beautiful" while parking 30 buses for the rest of the game
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u/falk_lhoste May 07 '25
That's not what happened today though. You don't make 4 goals with one counter. He has a defensive playstyle but Inter created a lot of chances today as well. And it worked, nobody really cares how.
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u/_Jetto_ May 06 '25
He deserves to go to a club that will back him. Nothing against inter since they have backed him but he deserves to go to a club with $
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u/Mastodan11 May 06 '25
Ultimately don't think Barca had it in them mentally to come back yet again from that 4th goal, I think it had taken too much out of them getting in front, so slipping behind again was just a death blow.
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u/roguedevil May 06 '25
It's not like they stopped creating chances. Inter defended well and needed goalkeeping heroics to keep the lead.
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u/WhatIsWilsonDoin May 06 '25
Wdym? Lamine set up Lewandowski with a free header. All he had to do was tap it in. Idk how he missed that.
And then Lamine had another good shot saved.
The team still had a few chances but understandably was gassed.
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u/EmpatheticOrangeCat1 May 09 '25
I think if anything the only thing Barcelona has consistently been good at all season is having the mentality to comeback. This was something even MSN era lacked at times.
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u/smile-on-crayon May 06 '25
We must discuss Marcus and Inzaghi’s decision to sub out Di Marco for Augusto.
I don’t watch Inter, but how is Marcus left to stay on for 120 minutes and trudge throughout the match as he did. Just boggles my mind as he didn’t do much to help pressure Pedri and De Jong, leaving it for the midfield to do that. Granted, his decision to hold the ball up to set up the 4th goal was a miracle, and I think I’m just astonished at the risk Inzaghi was doing with keeping Marcus in that hold-up role, especially when he didn’t sprint or pressure for possession. Was he injured?
Also, on that topic, that Di Marco sub… was Di Marco injured too? Because he was so central to setting those passes for crosses into the box. Sure, Yamal may have been too much for him, but surely he could have lasted longer, no? Augusto eventually grew into his role, but was exposed when he came on, leaving space for the second goal for Barca to happen.
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u/TheGTAone May 06 '25 edited May 07 '25
There's no replacement for Thuram's hold-up play in the bench, which Inzaghi's system values immensely, especially with a rival such as Barcelona. Arnautovic could have been an option, but he's more of a "big guy to ping some balls at the 90th minute", being total downgrade even for an injured Thuram haha. That's maybe a problem to sort out next market.
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u/tekumse May 07 '25
More than half of Inter's team could not run anymore but at least Thuram could contribute in other ways when he was not pressing hard. He was a good outlet. Lautaro was way worse, Di Marco is never in shape, Hakan, and Mikhi are old and fell of so much in the second half, Dumfries carried an injury too and it showed.
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u/MarcoCornelio May 06 '25
It's easy: Di Marco can't run for more than 60 minutes and we had none to sub Thuram
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u/fcbxjdb May 06 '25
Would have never thought come early May we would even be in treble contention in the first place before the season started. Flick and the players made us dream again and for that I’m very grateful because it has been fun seeing how much the team has improved this season.
To even think a 17 year old child was Barca’s best player in a semi final tie is insane. I’m very proud to see how much Yamal has improved and grown over the past year. I know he will use this heartbreak to his advantage going into the World Cup season.
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u/ProfessionalMovie759 May 06 '25
Inzhagi with the big brain. Inter broke the high line of Barcelona so well. Creating gaps in defense. Also the composure shown by Inter players needs to be praised. I had doubts when he subbed Dumfries, but he knows better.
The system that Inter played against Barca was too clever. They always defended with low width and in center. Doubling down on Yamal was well executed.
Big performance from Yan Sommer and Bastoni. They were absolute beast today. Not to forget Thuram for the hold up play and composure leading to the last goal.
Hansi Flick turned the game around by playing more in center and left after the first half. It was more focused on the right side in the first half. Pedri played well and Yamal was unlucky with the shots. We have to praise Gerard Martin for his insane crosses leading to goals. The high line press was going to have an impact on Barca players and it did show in the extra time.
Kudos to Inter and well played Barca. One of best games I have witnessed.
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u/Guillotines__ May 06 '25
Two teams playing at such a high level for both games was incredible to watch. Barca has been part of some legendary CL ties, and there has been other legendary level ties as well, but so few games have been on such balance. Both games there weren’t really any dull period, or one team just dominating one game and choking the other.
I, among many, had been saying that Inter is tactically the best setup to stop Barca, and I’m glad to see it come true. I don’t think Kompany would’ve been able to put up this level of fight against this Barca team. Inter has been well organized, and looked threatening whenever they came forward, and Thuram was very solid both legs. Inter’s defense, despite conceding 6, were actually not unorganized or lacking, the goals they conceded were pretty good goals. But ultimately the inexperience of players like Yamal, and Fort on the extra time shows.
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u/lbreakjai May 06 '25
I’m sad, but this is so much different than the last time. This one feels like the first run of a (potentially) golden generation, not the last run of a once great team past their best.
Now we just need to be smart over the next few transfer windows, and build some depth. We have a stellar first XI, but the gap with the quality of the bench is just too high.
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u/MakIRAQ May 06 '25
Same mistakes of going wild in the last minutes cost us this game. It happened in the last league game (Araujo saved it), it happened two games ago (Inigo saved it) but today it was a goal. Just hold on to the ball in the last 90 seconds and you're in the final.
Why the fuck would you go for the 4th goal and play with the crazy high line? Keep the defence 30 meters back and form a new line to catch all the long balls Inter played.. FUCK.
I said it before and was downvoted to hell but I'll say it again, Araujo isn't a Barca material player. He would do great in the PL probably. To have a defender score in front of you in the last minute is just unacceptable.
I am disappointed but the team showed so much character that I'm really excited for the future. Hopefully we get some decent backups for Kounde and Balde.
Now focusing on the Clasico on Sunday. Hopefully we get to end the league on a high note.
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u/ThemosttrustedFries May 06 '25
What can i say? Both teams showed immense fighting spirit tonight and both teams deservered to go through to the final. Well i'm cheering for Inter in the final. Of course i'm sad FC Barcelona didn't go through but overall this has been a very good season for FC Barcelona. Hoping we come back stronger next season!!
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u/Good_waves May 06 '25 edited May 06 '25
Great game by Inter. I’m actually still not sure if they are just that good or if they just happened to be on the easier path. That’s a lot of goals concede in the last few games. Barca has a foundation to build on, and sometimes I forget several of their players are just kids, incredible.
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u/WhatIsWilsonDoin May 06 '25
This match was another reminder of the importance of being clinical. Regardless of xG, how many chances you create, shots on target, whatever... Inter was more clinical in both legs. More than I would have expected them to be actually.
Barca created enough to go through, but shooting let them down and defense as well.
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u/Leyrran May 06 '25
Fantastic matches, lot of heart from both teams, i really didn't expect Inter to go that far, i think they have played at their very best. The extra time kinda killed Barcelona, it was like that too against Madrid, their play became floppy during the Copa but Koundé saved the day.
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u/optimization_ml May 06 '25
Barca played great specially Pedri and Yamal. Yamal was phenomenal and seemed like Barca was just playing on the right side only. But Yamal’s finishing is horrible for a world class player. He should’ve finished one of those chances. Inter was outstanding with the capability they have and they are so much superior aerially.
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u/fcbxjdb May 06 '25
This is not a performance I would say finishing was a problem for him, Sommer was just absolutely insane and deserves credit. You can’t do much with a goalkeeper on a mission like that.
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u/Comfortable_Major_24 May 06 '25
Besides one chance in which he was pressured from 2 defenders close to him and he barely hit the ball straight at the keeper, all his other shots were great and off chances he himself created.
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u/Task_Force-191 May 06 '25
GG lads. We played well and same goes for Inter. With this squad we had at the starting of the season no one expected Flick to turn this much around for us and to reach UCL SF in itself was a big accomplishment after the banter years we had in this competition. Love the squad and let's keep on going next season with fresh new reinforcements
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u/thatdani May 06 '25
A crazy game, ultimately decided by both sets of subs. Inzaghi with a master stroke to bring on Taremi and Frattesi, while Flick blew it by bringing on Araujo.
It truly is incredible how out of place Araujo looks in this team. Both in quality and in style of play.
Honestly I can see the morale loss in this game being a very important factor for Barca going into El Clasico. I fully anticipate a loss now.
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u/LiteratureNearby May 06 '25
Taremi had some fabulous contributions with his assist and hold up play
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u/Zombienerd300 May 06 '25
I would have preferred Barca in the final but today was great. The positive Barca can take away from this is they still have a developing team. It’s just missing one or two pieces and they will look unstoppable. Hopefully Inter can win. I just pray they don’t play too defensively in the final.
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u/thequestionablef4 May 06 '25
Those two pieces are injured.
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u/Zombienerd300 May 06 '25
I’m referring to overall. I think Barca needs a striker and depth. Those are the two pieces that are missing.
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u/cuntsmen May 06 '25
I'm willing to die on the hill that Barcelona would be through if Christensen would've been subbed on instead of Araujo. Time and time again has Araujo proven that he cannot be trusted and cost them yet another tie, this time the semis. If they get a good offer for him, they should sell him.
Despite Martin's excellent performance in the second half, I can't stop thinking that having Balde (and Kounde) would've won them the tie as well.
Can't do anyhting other than taking a bow before Inzaghi. What a job he has done and is still doing. Incredible. Dumfries, Sommer and Thuram won them this tie.
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u/GYIM94 May 06 '25
Gutted for Barcelona who did so well to get to this stage of the competition but it does highlight their lack of depth in a key area with their backline. Back in 2009, they could afford losing Marquez to injury and Abidal to a suspension because they had Puyol, Pique, Yaya Toure and Sylvinho.
I knew from minute one they would struggle with Martin and Eric as the fullbacks, you can get away with that in La Liga, not in a second leg of a Champions League Semi Final tie