Image Credentials: Image Title: INTER MILAN STUNS BARCELONA IN EXTRA-TIME THRILLER TO REACH CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL Source: (Grok, xAI) Date: May 2025 Attribution: Created by AI-generated imagery (Grok, xAI), and it does not depict a real-world scene.
By Staff Writer with Agencies
MILAN, ITALY — In a night that will go down as one of the most dramatic in UEFA Champions League history, Inter Milan edged out Barcelona 7-6 on aggregate after a 4-3 extra-time win at the San Siro, booking their place in the 2025 final in Munich.
Trailing late in regulation and seemingly destined for elimination, Inter found a hero in Davide Frattesi, the super-sub who sealed the tie with a brilliant solo effort in the 99th minute, sending the home crowd into raptures and Barcelona crashing out after a second consecutive Champions League collapse.
“I screamed so much I saw everything black,” Frattesi admitted after the match. “At 3-3, I told Marcus [Thuram] we would go through.”
🚨🇮🇹 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 | INTER MAKE IT TO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL! 🔵⚫️🏆
7-6 victory vs Barcelona on aggregate, simply crazy match.
They will play PSG or Arsenal in the final.
Credit to Simone Inzaghi and his team. 👏 pic.twitter.com/aADmLktpBH
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) May 6, 2025
The goal crowned a breathtaking match that saw momentum shift repeatedly. Inter had taken a 2-0 halftime lead thanks to Lautaro Martínez’s opener and a penalty from Hakan Çalhanoğlu. But just as they had done in the first leg, Barcelona clawed their way back, Eric García and Dani Olmo leveling the score early in the second half before Raphinha’s rebound finish appeared to seal the tie for the visitors in the 88th minute.
But in a final twist, veteran defender Francesco Acerbi, 37, rose to the moment with a stoppage-time equalizer, his first-ever goal in European competition, forcing the match into extra time.
Barcelona nearly responded again in the dying minutes of extra time, with young star Lamine Yamal denied only by the fingertips of Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick praised his squad’s efforts, saying, “We can be proud of our performance. It’s a tough loss, but we start again next season.”
Inter, three-time European champions and runners-up in 2023, will now prepare for the final on May 31 in Munich, where they will meet either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal, the latter trailing 1-0 ahead of Wednesday’s second leg in Paris.
For now, though, the night belongs to Inter Milan and to Davide Frattesi, whose name will be etched in club folklore for this unforgettable Champions League night.
Key Match Stats:
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Final Score: Inter Milan 4–3 Barcelona (Aggregate: 7–6)
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Goal Scorers (Inter): Martínez, Çalhanoğlu (pen), Acerbi, Frattesi
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Goal Scorers (Barcelona): García, Olmo, Raphinha
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Next Opponent: Winner of PSG vs Arsenal in the UCL Final