Inter Milan Vs Barcelona, Portrait of the Wheel of Life at San Siro

MILAN, WEDNESDAY - Stephen King, known as the King of Horror Stories, has one of the famous sayings from his novels: "Life is like a wheel that always comes back to the starting point." This was demonstrated by Inter Milan in two semifinal matches of the 2024-2025 Champions League.

Inter started the thrilling match between the two teams with a two-goal advantage, both in Barcelona and in the second leg at the San Siro Stadium, Milan, on Wednesday (7/5/2025) early morning WIB. Although they briefly failed to maintain their lead, "The Big Snake" ultimately stung Barca with a 4-3 victory in the second leg, winning with an aggregate score of 7-6.

Similar to the match at Barca's home ground, the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, last week, Inter started the game positively. They went into halftime with a two-goal lead. Lautaro Martinez (21st minute) and Hakan Calhanolu through a penalty kick (45th minute) brought smiles to Inter's supporters.

However, the two-goal margin could not be maintained by Inter in the second half. Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo helped "Blaugrana" equalize the score within a span of six minutes, specifically in the 54th and 60th minutes.

Barca even turned the deficit around with a shot from Raphinha when there were three minutes left in regular time. The 13th goal of the Brazilian forward in the Champions League this season briefly put the Inter fans on edge. In contrast, smiles appeared on the faces of the players and coaching staff of Barca on the bench.

Like the wheel of life, fortune still favored after being left behind for six minutes. A touch from Francesco Acerbi in the 90+3 minute extended Inter's breath to appear in the final. Before that equalizing goal, Lamine Yamal created an opportunity for himself that hit the left post of Inter's goal.

Finally, the rain that poured over San Siro when referee Szymon Marciniak started the first half of extra time benefited the Big Snake. With a precise left-footed shot from substitute midfielder Davide Frattesi in the 99th minute, Inter secured a place in Munich, the venue for the final match. This marks Inter's second Champions League final in the last three seasons.

Similar to the 2009-2010 season, Inter is eager to reclaim the title of European champion after eliminating Barcelona in the semifinals. The opportunity is certainly wide open as Simone Inzaghi's squad possesses better experience compared to their potential opponents in the final, namely Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal.

"First, I want to express my appreciation to Barcelona. They are a really strong team that helped us bring out the best in us," Inzaghi said after the match as reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Thunderous applause should also be given to my players who delivered two outstanding performances. I am happy to be their coach. They deserve to celebrate an important victory in this stadium," he added.

Inzaghi has equaled the record held by Helenio Herrera as the coach who led the team nicknamed "I Nerazzurri" to the Champions League final. Herrera, who was from Argentina, delivered two "Big Ears" trophies in the 1963-1964 and 1964-1965 editions.

Although he has not yet been able to secure a title, Inzaghi has the opportunity to become the third tactician to lead Inter to lift the trophy on the Champions League winner's podium. He will follow in the footsteps of Herrera and Jose Mourinho.

Denzel Dumfries, the right-back of Inter, who contributed two goals and two assists in the semifinal, is optimistic about his team's chances in the final. After defeating Barcelona, Dumfries stated that Inter is heading to Munich with confidence.

"We have faced two of the strongest teams in Europe at the moment (Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals and Barcelona). We are ready to welcome the final, we want to win this trophy," said Dumfries as reported by the UEFA website.

Disappointment envelops Barca. Hans-Dieter Flick failed to help the Blaugrana sweep all four trophies this season. After winning the Spanish Super Cup, Barca's chances of lifting the remaining trophies in the Copa del Rey and La Liga are still alive.

The majority of Barca players hung their heads in despair and knelt on the San Siro pitch after the final whistle of the second half of extra time. The pouring rain washed away the tears flowing down the faces of several Blaugrana players.

Flick is proud of the hard work of his players, especially their ability to bounce back from being two goals down. He believes that the painful defeat to Inter serves as an important lesson for his team to achieve prestigious accomplishments in the remainder of the season.

"It's a tough defeat, but we have to keep standing tall. Because we deserved to be in the final. When they look in the mirror tonight, they deserved everything they showed on the pitch," Flick was quoted as saying by Mundo Deportivo.

The German tactician added, "I congratulate Inter. They delivered two outstanding performances in two matches. I hope for a continuation in the final match."

In his first season managing Barca, Flick failed to follow in the footsteps of Pep Guardiola, who achieved a treble winner or three major trophies with two different teams. Previously, Flick assisted Bayern Munich in attaining that record in the 2019-2020 season.