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Key occasions
45 min +3: VAR finishes its red-card examine and there’s nothing doing.
45 min +2: Barcelona are furious, despite the fact that Cubarsí clipped his opponent. They’re not letting this lie, and now there’s a possible crimson card arising. Unsure who for or why, however VAR’s a-looking.
GOAL! Internazionale 2-0 Barcelona (Çalhanoğlu 45+1 pen); agg 5-3
Simply because the clock ticks previous the 45-minute mark, Çalhanoğlu slams the spot kick into the bottom-left nook! Szczęsny despatched the incorrect manner. He’d have had hassle reaching that spot kick even when he’d guessed appropriately!
Penalty for Internazionale!
44 min: Effectively, effectively, effectively! That seemed a fantastic sort out. However Martinez certainly acquired somewhat contact first, earlier than Cubarsi slid in. It’s a penalty! Hansi Flick is fuming.
43 min: … however Martinez stays down, and VAR goes to take a look at a possible penalty. It seemed a wonderfully timed problem … however did Martinez get somewhat contact first? The referee attracts a telly-box within the air, and trots over to the monitor!
42 min: Mkhitaryan sends Martinez away down the left. Martinez enters the field, and is odds-on to attain … however he hesitates, permitting Cubarsi to place in a crunching sort out. That’s a superb problem, one which’s saved a sure-fire second aim for Inter.
41 min: … however Inter do as effectively, and this time it’s Çalhanoğlu who latches onto a poor Barca clearance, and slices a snapshot huge proper from 12 yards. “He ought to rating,” says Alan Shearer on Amazon Prime.
40 min: Yamal dribbles elegantly down the appropriate, then into the field, previous one, previous two … however simply earlier than house opens as much as shoot, he slips over as Bastoni arrives on the scene to dam. Barcelona undoubtedly have a aim in them.
38 min: Barella latches onto Martinez’s half-clearance, 25 yards out, down the inside-right channel, and pearls an excellent first-time volley throughout Szczęsny and inches huge of the left-hand put up. Very shut. Had that been on track, Szczęsny wasn’t attending to it.
37 min: Throughout that transfer, Çalhanoğlu clattered into Olmo late, and goes into the ebook in consequence.
36 min: Olmo sashays powerfully down the center of the park earlier than slipping the ball to Yamal, down the inside-right channel. Yamal enters the field and pivots earlier than scuffing a shot supposed for the bottom-left nook effectively huge of the aim.
34 min: Yamal skips previous Dimarco down the appropriate for the nth time, and cuts again for Pedri, who crosses in the direction of Torres and Raphinha on the far stick. Each are free, six yards out; each confuse the opposite, and the ball pings off Torres and out for a aim kick. That ought to have been the equaliser.
32 min: Sommer punches clear once more, this time coping with Martin’s cross from the left as Torres lurks.
31 min: Barella loses the ball to Raphinha down the Barca left, and the latter appears to be like for Torres within the center. Torres shapes to shoot from six yards, however Bisseck will get within the street to show behind for a nook. Sommer punches the set piece clear.
30 min: Pedri has a dig from 25 yards. Miles over the bar. No have to get this determined so early.
29 min: … particularly as nothing comes of the ensuing nook.
28 min: Yamal performs an excellent reverse move down the appropriate for Olmo, who has Torres and Raphinha up with him, Inter gentle on the again. However Olmo inexplicably slows down upon coming into the field, uncertain whether or not to cross or shoot. He finally takes a whack, and it’s deflected huge left for a nook, however Barcelona ought to have gotten extra out of that.
26 min: No penalty. You’ve seen them given, although.
25 min: Barcelona have responded effectively to falling behind. Olmo scraps for a ball bouncing across the Inter field. He tries to prod house from shut vary however the ball breaks off Acerbi, flailing round on the ground, and away. That’s hit Acerbi’s arm, although, and VAR will have a look.
23 min: Yamal goes jigging previous Dimarco once more, and will simply go down to assert a free kick as his opponent will get determined. However he tries to remain on his ft and finally miscontrols. Purpose kick. Yamal not proud of the referee.
GOAL! Internazionale 1-0 Barcelona (Martinez 21); agg 4-3
Barca faff round taking part in it out from the again. An interception, and Dumfries is slipped clear, with Martinez to his left. Dumfries attracts Szczęsny and rolls the ball to his skipper, who can’t miss, the aim gaping. Inter forward and San Siro erupts!
21 min: Dumfries slips Barella into house down the appropriate channel. Barella flicks the ball over Martin’s head, slicing into the field and pearling a shot goalwards. It’s a effective effort however one parried and gathered by Szczęsny. Irrespective of, although, as a result of …
19 min: Bisseck throws lengthy from the left. De Jong is pressured to show behind for a nook. That’s in the reduction of for Çalhanoğlu, who shoots from distance and wins one other nook. Barca clear the second. The house facet are starting to ask a couple of questions, even when Szczęsny is but to be put to work.
17 min: Mkhitaryan romps down the left, with time and in house. He’s acquired Martinez free within the center, however his low cross is well deflected behind by Garcia. Nothing comes of the ensuing set piece.
16 min: Thuram overthinks issues once more, this time on the sting of the D, hesitating earlier than curling a low shot effectively huge proper of aim.
15 min: Dumfries and Thuram have been each hesitant when introduced with probabilities to shoot; Yamal wants no invitation to be about his enterprise, and cuts in from the appropriate earlier than whipping a low shot straight at Sommer.
13 min: Martinez splits the Barca defence with one easy move down the center. Thuram is free! He enters the field and drops a shoulder, attempting to spherical Szczesny on the appropriate. However the keeper palms the ball away from his toe. Then the flag pops up for offside anyway.
11 min: Dumfries appears to be like lengthy for Thuram down the appropriate, however his team-mate has checked his run. No person there. Each side favouring their proper flank thus far.
9 min: Barca press Inter again. Yamal, Olmo and Pedri change passes as they transfer the ball proper to left, throughout the face of the Inter field. However there’s no manner by way of, and Inter break by way of Dumfries down the appropriate. Dumfries holds off Martin and thinks about crossing low for Martinez, however he hesitates, loses momentum, and finally solely manages to clank the ball softly in Szczesny’s path. Inter’s first promising second of the night.
7 min: … so Inter sluggish issues down a bit by taking their candy time over a throw.
6 min: Raphinha crosses low from the left. The ball almost threads by way of to Torres, however Sommer hacks clear simply in time. Barca come once more with one other wave, Yamal crossing lengthy from the appropriate, however it’s too excessive for Raphinha and flies out for a aim kick. Barca have began the brighter.
4 min: Yep, right here we go. Yamal dribbles for the primary time down the appropriate, cuts infield, and attracts a foul from Dimarco. Most definitely it gained’t be the final.
2 min: Barcelona launch it down the appropriate once more. They’re clearly hoping to lean into the Yamal-Dimarco tussle as soon as extra. That didn’t finish effectively for the Inter man final week.
20 secs: Inter began shortly in Barcelona; Barca almost return the favour right here. Torres is present in house within the Inter field down the appropriate, however the flag pops up for offside earlier than he can roll a move throughout for Raphinha to faucet house.
Inter get the ball rolling. One other 3-3 draw, please! We’ll have additional time and probably penalties if that’s the case.
The groups are out! A uncommon outdated environment as night time falls on San Siro. Three-time champions Internazionale. 5-time winners Barcelona. A message written throughout one stand in fairly paper: FORZA. Zadok the Priest (type of). Fingers clasped. Pennants exchanged. The stands buzzing. Anticipation crackles. San Siro roars. This feels classical. None extra European Cuppy. We’ll be off in a minute. “The New York Occasions included a comparability between Yamal’s genius and that of Leonardo da Vinci right now!” experiences Justin Kavanagh. “Now there’s a clip that any sensible coach would pin up within the dressing room as an affront to all Italians.”
Package and caboodle. Again on house turf on the San Siro, Inter will sport their storied black and blue stripes tonight. Their match pennant is crisp and unfussy, profitable high marks for design, with the caveat that their outdated interlapping FCIM emblem was far classier than the present Volkswagen-adjacent monstrosity.
Barcelona will put on their third-choice inexperienced package. It clashes with their pennant.
Inter have historical past on their facet within the wake of final week’s 3-3 rollercoaster. They’ve gained 15 of the 21 European ties through which they’ve managed to document a first-leg away draw, a ratio that compares favourably to Barcelona’s document upon being held to a first-leg house draw: of the 14 occasions that’s occurred, the Blaugrana have solely made it by way of on seven events. Nevertheless each golf equipment misplaced the final time they discovered themselves on this explicit state of affairs, Eintracht Frankfurt knocking Inter out of the 2018-19 Europa League (1-1 a, 0-1 h) and Manchester United doing for Barcelona within the 2022-23 Europa League (2-2 h, 1-2 a).
… and right here’s how Barça acquired right here. The Catalans got here second within the mega-group, regardless of shedding their first fixture 2-1 away at Monaco. They went on to beat Younger Boys (h) 5-0, Bayern Munich (h) 4-1, Pink Star Belgrade (a) 5-2, Brest (h) 3-0, Borussia Dortmund (a) 3-2 and Benfica (a) 5-4, earlier than lastly drawing 2-2 at house with Atalanta. Benfica have been dispatched 4-1 on combination within the spherical of 16, then Barca confronted Dortmund within the quarters, whereupon …
A reminder of how Inter made it to the semis. The Italian champions completed fourth within the group stage. Their marketing campaign started with a goalless draw at Manchester Metropolis, earlier than chalking up six wins – Pink Star Belgrade (h) 4-0, Younger Boys (a) 1-0, Arsenal (h) 1-0, RB Leipzig (h) 1-0, Sparta Prague (a) 1-0 and Monaco (h) 3-0 – plus a 1-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen. (5 1-0s and a goalless draw! Helenio Herrera would have been delighted with that sequence of scorelines.) Anyway, Feyenoord have been seen off 4-1 on combination within the spherical of 16, after which it was Bayern Munich within the quarters …
Internazionale identify the identical beginning XI as they did within the first leg in Barcelona final week. Their captain Lautaro Martínez, who went off injured at half time on the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys and was a doubt for tonight, has recovered from a muscle drawback.
Barcelona make one change to their beginning line-up from final week. Jules Koundé is injured so Eric Garcia takes his place in defence. Robert Lewandowski has recovered from his hamstring damage and takes a spot on the bench.
The groups
Internazionale: Sommer, Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni, Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco, Lautaro Martinez, Thuram.
Subs: Di Gennaro, Josep Martinez, de Vrij, Zielinski, Arnautovic, Frattesi, Asllani, Carlos Augusto, Darmian, Zalewski, Taremi, Re Cecconi.
Barcelona: Szczesny, Garcia, Cubarsi, Martinez, Gerard, de Jong, Gonzalez, Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha, Torres.
Subs: Pena, Astralaga, Araujo, Gavi, Lewandowski, Fati, Christensen, Lopez, Victor, Fort, Farre, Darvich.
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland).
VAR: Dennis Higler (Netherlands).
Preamble
If the second leg is even half pretty much as good as this …
… we’re in for a journey. Kick-off is at 8pm BST. It’s on!