Inter Milan's Davide Frattesi (Spada/LaPresse via AP)
NEW DELHI: In a thrilling Champions League encounter on Tuesday,
Davide Frattesi
secured
Inter Milan
's place in the final with a decisive
extra-time goal
, leading to a remarkable 4-3 victory over
Barcelona
, with an aggregate score of 7-6.The Italian midfielder Frattesi sealed the intense match at a rain-soaked
San Siro
in the 99th minute, following an impressive setup by Marcus Thuram, igniting jubilant celebrations amongst the capacity crowd.Inter will face either
Arsenal
or
Paris Saint-Germain
in Munich later this month, where they aim to secure their fourth European crown after emerging victorious from this extraordinary contest.Frattesi, who has established himself as a reliable substitute for Inter, replicated his late-scoring prowess from the first leg of their quarter-final victory against Bayern Munich.
"It's just incredible, I don't know what to say. I thought after the Bayern game I couldn't ever feel the same emotions, but tonight was even more incredible," Frattesi told Sky Sport."This has been my career, really. I wasn't blessed with incredible talent, but I never give up and always believe and this is the reward for all my effort and dedication."
The victory salvaged Inter's season following their elimination from treble contention after defeating Bayern.Inter lost their
Serie A
lead to Napoli, who are now favourites for the league title, whilst AC Milan eliminated them from the Italian Cup.However, Inter ended Barcelona's quadruple aspirations and approach the season's conclusion with renewed optimism, having reached their second
Champions League final
in three seasons."We know that there are two really strong teams in the other semi. But you have to play to win any final," stated Federico Dimarco.Barcelona must now focus on maintaining their four-point advantage over Real Madrid in La Liga following their missed opportunity for a clean sweep of trophies this season."The truth is we are sad. We wanted to get to the final, we were having a great Champions League campaign," Ronald Araujo shared with Movistar."We were very close and it got away from us."Frattesi's winning strike, his seventh this season and arguably his most significant, was particularly notable given Inter's near elimination.With two minutes of regular time remaining, Inter faced elimination after Raphinha completed Barcelona's comeback from a two-goal deficit, establishing a 3-2 lead on the night.Francesco Acerbi stunned the stadium, particularly the celebrating Barcelona supporters, by converting Denzel Dumfries' cross in the second minute of additional time.
This unexpected goal came when Barcelona had dominated the second half, having earlier trailed to Lautaro Martinez's brilliant finish and Hakan Calhanoglu's penalty just before halftime.Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo equalised for Barcelona in the 54th and 60th minutes, both from excellent Gerard Martin assists, requiring exceptional saves from Yann Sommer to keep Inter competitive.Sommer produced an outstanding save between Barcelona's first two goals, denying Eric Garcia from a rapid counter-attack.The Swiss goalkeeper proved crucial again in the 113th minute with another remarkable save from Lamine Yamal, who struck the post moments before Acerbi's equaliser.Inter successfully resisted Barcelona's pressure as the home supporters anxiously awaited the final whistle of this season's most compelling match.
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