Coach Inzaghi: "Inter Milan's qualification for the final was extraordinary."

Following a thrilling 3-3 draw in the first leg of the semi-final, Inter Milan endured another tense 120 minutes as they faced Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium.

Both teams produced a dramatic back-and-forth match with 13 goals scored over two legs, but the Italian side proved superior and ultimately won.

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Inter Milan secured a thrilling victory against Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final (Photo: Getty).

"It was an incredible match. Barcelona are an extremely strong team right now. To overcome them, it would certainly take a superb Inter Milan. I want to commend my players for their extraordinary performances in both legs. That was the only way to reach the final."

"I am extremely proud to have led them, who fought with everything they had. Even the players who came on from the bench showed great spirit and attitude. The Inter Milan players deserve to have reached the final," coach Inzaghi praised his players.

Inter Milan took a 2-0 lead in the first half with goals from Lautaro Martinez and a penalty from Hakan Calhanoglu. But in the second half, Barcelona came back to take a 3-2 lead thanks to goals from Eric Garcia, Dani Olmo and Raphinha.

Francesco Acerbi equalized in the 93rd minute with his first Champions League goal at the age of 37, sending the match into extra time. Davide Frattesi scored the winning goal, securing a 4-3 victory for the Nerazzurri. Inter Milan ultimately won 7-6 on aggregate after two legs and brilliantly advanced to the final.

This is the second time Inter Milan has reached the Champions League final in the last three years. Despite being the team with the least spending on transfers among the eight quarter-finalists, the Italian side remains a high-quality team, having defeated one of the most valuable squads in Europe at the moment.

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Coach Simone Inzaghi celebrates the victory with the Inter Milan players (Photo: Getty).

"Inter Milan is a perfect team and no one can replace them. I wouldn't trade anyone in the squad for any world football star. We are a perfect unit, always playing our best, with our inherent strengths and qualities."

"The players deserve to enjoy every moment with these passionate fans. We are truly happy. I told them to believe that we can limit Barcelona's power, even though it won't be easy. When Lautaro, Dumfries, and Frattesi were all out of form, the whole team had to play with all their hearts to overcome all difficulties," coach Inzaghi shared.

In this match, the Italian strategist continued to praise Lamine Yamal's performance, as the 17-year-old star created many difficulties for Inter's defense in marking him. Coach Inzaghi also particularly praised the talent of Frenkie De Jong, a player who contributed to Barcelona's ball recovery and distribution.

"De Jong surprised me just as much as Yamal. He handled the ball neatly, passed with great accuracy, and played extremely intelligently. I have to admit that De Jong had two truly outstanding games," said coach Inzaghi.

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Coach Simone Inzaghi praised De Jong's performance after the two legs of the semi-final (Photo: Getty).

Inter Milan are currently second in Serie A. With the Champions League final scheduled for early June, coach Inzaghi's team will now focus on the domestic league to defend their title against the significant threat from Napoli, who are currently leading the table.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/hlv-inzaghi-inter-milan-gianh-ve-vao-chung-ket-day-phi-thuong-20250507075739197.htm