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Francesco Acerbi celebrates Inters win over Barcelona (Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images) Getty Images After last week’s 3-3 draw in Catalonia, few expected a similar shootout to take place when Barcelona visited San Siro. Yet that is exactly what unfolded over 120 thrilling minutes in Milan, Inter emerging victorious as Francesco Acerbi rolled back the years in an incredible performance. With a place in the UEFA Champions League Final at stake, the Nerazzurri knew they needed their best players to shine and they certainly did not disappoint. Starting the game in intense fashion, their decision to press Barca high up the pitch paid off as Federico Dimarco dispossessed Dani Olmo and immediately found Denzel Dumfries. Despite being through on goal, the full-back rolled the ball to his left and Lautaro Martinez made no mistake, thumping the ball home with an emphatic strike to put Inter 4-3 ahead on aggregate. Francesco Acerbi and defences take centre stage From there it would be the defenders who had the most impact on the game. Francesco Acerbi slid in to make a crucial block on Pedri, then Alessandro Bastoni did the same after Raphinha found Ferran Torres. Bastoni was again alert to take the ball away from Lamine Yamal with a perfectly timed tackle, and it seemed Pau Cubarsi repeated that at the other end to prevent Lautaro Martinez as he was about to shoot. After a VAR review however, it seemed the Barca defender caught the striker’s boot not the ball and Inter had a penalty, Hakan Calhanoglu coolly dispatching it beyond Wojciech Szczesny. Acerbi thought he had scored after 52 minutes only to see his header ruled out for offside. Inter would then allow their opponents back into the game, Eric Garcia smashing the ball into the top corner after meeting…

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Filed under: News - @ May 8, 2025 10:26 pm