We can’t believe these 15 stats from Inter’s classic 4-3 win over Barcelona
Inter Milan are through to the Champions League final after beating Barcelona 4-3 in one of the best football matches you’re ever likely to see.
After last week’s 3-3 draw in Spain, the tie couldn’t have been more delicately poised and Inter raced into a 2-0 lead thanks to Lautaro Martinez and a penalty from Hakan Calhanoglu.
Barca were only two minutes away from their first final in 10 years having fought back – in a similar scenario to the first leg – to lead 3-2 on the night.
But centre-back Francesco Acerbi smashed a cross into the roof of the net to level the tie, the 37-year-old charging around with his shirt off in wild celebrations.
And there were more ecstatic scenes when substitute Davide Frattesi won it for the Italian champions in extra time with a beautiful curling effort.
Lamine Yamal almost took the game to penalties but was twice denied by superb saves by Yann Sommer as Inter held on to reach the final and spark incredible scenes of celebration.
Inter, who lost 1-0 to Manchester City in the 2023 final, will play either PSG or Arsenal in Munich on May 31 and we’ve collected together the best stats from an unforgettable semi-final.
– Lautaro Martinez scored as many goals as he completed passes in the first half. Quality over quantity.
– Hakan Calhanoglu has now scored all six of the penalties he has taken in the Champions League, meaning he boasts the joint best 100% record from the spot in the competition’s history (excl. shootouts) alongside Timo Werner (also six from six).
– Barcelona have conceded two goals in the first half of a game only five times in any competition all season. Two of those have been against Inter.
– It also meant Barcelona had conceded two-plus goals before half-time in consecutive Champions League games for the first time since November 1997.
– Denzel Dumfries became just the fourth player in Champions League history to score two or more goals and provide two or more assists in a semi-final tie after Alessandro Del Piero in 1998 and both Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino in 2018.
– The Netherlands international had zero goals and zero assists in nine Champions League appearances this season before the first leg last week.
– Raphinha’s late goal in normal time ensured the Brazilian equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for the most goal involvements (21) in a single Champions League campaign in the competition’s history.
– Francesco Acerbi’s dramatic late equaliser was the 37-year-old’s first goal in European competition.
– Following their second group-stage meeting in 2022-23 and last week’s first leg, this was the third game in a row between Inter and Barcelona to end 3-3 after 90 minutes.
– It was the first game in the Champions League knockout stage this season in which both teams have managed more than 2.0 expected goals.
– With 13 goals across both legs, the tie equals the record set by Liverpool and Roma in 2018 for the most in a Champions League semi-final.
– Barcelona have now lost four of their last five Champions League semi-finals; the only victory coming in 2015 and defeats coming in 2012, 2013, 2019 and 2025.
– Barcelona scored 43 goals in this season’s UEFA Champions League with only Barcelona themselves (45 in 1999-00) netting more in a single campaign in the competition’s history.
– However, the Spanish side also conceded 24 UEFA Champions League goals this term, their highest ever total in a season.
– Meanwhile, Inter have reached the Champions League final in two of the last three seasons, having done so in just one of their previous 17 European Cup/Champions League campaigns.
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