Barcelona, Inter Milan Settle for Draw in Six-goal Thriller

In what will be the talk of this season’s UEFA Champions League, FC Barcelona fought back twice to hold Inter Milan within the first 39 minutes of their first leg, semi final clash at Camp Nou on Wednesday night.

At the end of 90 minutes, there was no victor, no vanquish as both teams finished the spellbinding encounter 3-3.

Now, Champions League aficionados are salivating in waiting, for the deciding second leg clash in San Siro, next Tuesday. 

Scorers  Lamine Yamal and Denzel Dumfries expectedly shared top billing at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

Dumfries teed up Marcus Thuram for a flashy finish after 30 seconds – the fastest goal in a Champions League semi-final – then the Dutchman acrobatically doubled the Serie A champions’ lead.

Yamal got the LaLiga leaders back into it with a candidate for goal of the season on the 17-year-old’s 100th Barcelona appearance and Ferran Torres levelled from six yards to end a riveting first half on even note.

The Blaugrana were required to make a substitution three minutes to the break as Jules Kounde picked up a knock and removed for Eric Garcia.

After an action-packed opening half, the Nerazzurri were also forced into a change where captain Lautaro Martinez made way for Mehdi Taremi.

Inter weren’t unsettled though and regained the lead a little later when Dumfries bombed in the six-yard box to head in a pin-point corner from Hakan Calhanoglu.

Barcelona, however, levelled 3-3  immediately after goalkeeper Yann Sommer helped a thumping long-range shot from Raphinha into the back of his own net.

The Nerazzurri looked to have gone back ahead inside the last ten minutes through a first-time effort by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but it was disallowed for offside by the assistant referee. 

Yamal struck the crossbar at the other end, leaving everything to play for in next Tuesday’s second leg at the San Siro.

RESULT

Barcelona 3-3 Inter 

TODAY

(Europa League)

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