Barcelona and Inter Milan played to a breathtaking 3-3 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal at Barcelona\'s Olympic Stadium on Wednesday. The Catalans finished with a slight edge in expected goals (xG), recording 1.49 compared to Inter\'s 1.00.
Inter stunned the home crowd with Marcus Thuram scoring the fastest goal in Champions League semifinal history after just 30 seconds. Denzel Dumfries doubled Inter\'s lead in the 21st minute with an acrobatic effort from a corner kick, giving the Italian champions a commanding early advantage.
Barcelona\'s 17-year-old phenom Lamine Yamal led the comeback, scoring a brilliant solo goal before halftime when he drove into the box, beat defenders and curled the ball in off the post with his left foot. Ferran Torres later equalized after good work from Pedri and Raphinha, capping a remarkable first-half revival.
Second-Half Drama
Inter regained the lead in the 63rd minute when Dumfries scored his second goal from another corner kick, highlighting Barcelona\'s defensive vulnerabilities at set pieces. Barcelona responded almost immediately, with Raphinha\'s thunderous strike hitting the bar and rebounding off goalkeeper Yann Sommer\'s back for an own goal just two minutes later.
Following Raphinha\'s equalizer, Barcelona midfielder commented that conceding three goals at home was \"unacceptable\" despite the team\'s offensive capabilities. The match became increasingly tense in the closing stages, with both sides pushing for a winner.
Both teams created chances to win in a breathless finale, with Yamal hitting the woodwork twice during the match and Sommer producing a sublime save against Raphinha in stoppage time. A late goal by Inter\'s Henrikh Mkhitaryan was narrowly ruled out for offside, preserving the draw.
\"We could have won this game against a team who have a player who is difficult to stop,\" Inter coach Simone Inzaghi said after the match. \"We started well, but in the last 25 minutes [of the first half] they created a lot of problems. He created a lot of problems.\"
\"Yamal is a phenomenon born every 50 years. We made some adjustments to improve how we dealt with him after the break, which is not easy. He really impressed me today.\"
Inzaghi also expressed pride in his team\'s performance.
\"I am proud of a fantastic team of players that came here and played a game like this against the most attacking team in the world,\" Inzaghi said. \"The second leg will be tough like today. We were excellent in moments, but there were other spells when had to suffer, knowing we\'re against a good side in Barça. But they also realized they have a great Inter side in front of them who are very difficult to stop.\"
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick praised his young star: \"I think Lamine in the first half was so important for us because he created a lot of positive things and scored the first goal. He\'s special. He\'s a genius. He shows in the big matches like today how good he is.\"
The return leg will be played next Tuesday at San Siro in Milan. Barcelona hopes to have Alejandro Balde and Robert Lewandowski back from injury, while Inter\'s captain Lautaro Martínez is a major doubt after being substituted with an injury.
Via Sam Marsden/ESPN
