Frattesi’s 99th-Minute strike sends Inter to Champions League final in 7-Goal thriller

In a breathtaking Champions League semi-final second leg, Davide Frattesi struck a dramatic winner in the 99th minute of extra time, sealing a 4-3 victory for Inter Milan over Barcelona and sending the Italian side through to the final 7-6 on aggregate.

The match was a rollercoaster of emotions, with Francesco Acerbi’s stoppage-time equalizer in normal time cancelling out a late Raphinha strike that had appeared to put Barcelona on the cusp of the final.

Barcelona had mounted a stunning second-half comeback, with goals from Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo leveling the tie after Inter led 2-0 at halftime.

“David Frattesi struck the decisive goal in the 99th minute of extra time to seal Inter Milan’s dramatic 4-3 win over Barcelona in a Champions League semi-final thriller at San Siro on Tuesday, sending the Italians through 7-6 on aggregate.”

Inter defender Denzel Dumfries aptly described the chaotic encounter to Amazon Prime, saying, “A crazy match again! Seven goals today. It was incredible. We fought until the end; very proud of the way we fought today. Overall, I’m very happy that we’re going to the final.”

Goalkeeper Yann Sommer, who was named Player of the Match, echoed the sentiment in his post-match interview with Sky Italia. “I’m very happy, we played an incredible match. Which save will I remember?

The last one on Lamine Yamal; he is a great player and fortunately it didn’t go in.

Many teams would have given up after going down 3-2 but we didn’t, and managed to come back.”

The sheer drama of the game left even seasoned observers astounded. Former Milan and Netherlands midfielder Clarence Seedorf commented, “I think we’ve had enough emotions today! In the first half Inter were supreme, but Barcelona came back, and Inter looked low on energy. But the thing that amazed me is they never give up, and who would have thought they’d be able to score such a late equalizer against Barcelona.”

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Former England striker Wayne Rooney highlighted Inter’s resilience, stating, “Once Inter got the equalizer it looked like they were the team that were going to push. Barcelona ran out of ideas at the end. I’m not really quick to praise goalkeepers, but some of those saves Yann Sommer made were excellent.”

Match-winner Davide Frattesi himself was almost speechless, exclaiming, “What happened? I don’t know! I celebrated so loudly that my head was spinning.”

Reflecting further, he drew parallels to a previous emotional victory, adding, “After the game in Munich, I thought I would never experience anything like this again in terms of emotions. But that’s the beauty of football. It’s part of my career; I’ve always been the first to believe and the last to give up. This is a reward for my dedication and commitment. After it went 3-3, I told Marcus [Thuram] that we would go through.”

Inter Milan will now proceed to the Champions League final on May 31 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, where they will face either PSG or Arsenal.