A selection of stats to explain where Inter Milan’s extraordinary Champions League semi-final with Barcelona was won and lost.
In a tie that will go down in folklore as arguably the greatest in Champions League history, Inter Milan have booked their spot in the final in Munich after beating Barcelona 7-6 on aggregate in their semi-final showdown.
Inter led 2-0 and 3-2 in the first leg, but brilliance from Lamine Yamal and Raphinha saw the sides deadlocked heading into the return at San Siro this evening.
Simone Inzaghi’s side took a two-nil lead once again on home soil, but conspired to throw it away, with Raphinha netting what looked set to be an 87th-minute winner for Hansi Flick’s men.
However, Francesco Acerbi was the unlikely hero, popping up with his first Champions League goal at the grand age of 37 to send the tie to extra time, where Davide Frattesi turned the tide in Inter’s favour again with a strike on 99 minutes that ended up being decisive.
Following a breathless night in Milan, here are the best stats from the evening, which illustrate where the game was won and lost.
Barcelona beaten via the backdoor
© Imago
While Barca have dazzled with their sublime attacking play throughout the season, it is clear that their shortcomings come in defence, where an insanely high line allowed Inter space in behind during both legs, while individual errors were commonplace.
Conceding seven goals in a two-legged tie is always going to be troublesome, and it is no surprise that after conceding at least two first-half goals in back-to-back Champions League games for the first time since 1997, that is what was fatal for Flick and his players.
No ‘Catenaccio’ here
On the contrary, Inzaghi showed a completely different side to his managerial game, as Inter, who are so often famed for their defensive solidity, contributed equally to an extraordinary tie.
The six goals Inter conceded over the two legs is more than they had let in across the entirety of their Champions League campaign to this point – five in 12 matches.
Nevertheless, Inzaghi was still able to mastermind another semi-final victory, meaning only he and Italian compatriot Carlo Ancelotti have reached two UCL finals since he joined Inter in 2021.
Devastating Dumfries steals the show
© Imago
Inzaghi’s ace card was unquestionably Denzel Dumfries, who was arguably man of the match in both legs, scoring two and assisting the opener in Montjuic a week ago, before registering another two assists tonight.
On top of his astonishing attacking output, Dumfries also had to contend with Raphinha for almost 210 minutes, and he kept the Brazilian quiet for large periods of the tie.
Dumfries has become just the fourth player in Champions League history to register both two or more goals and assists across a semi-final tie, and accompanying that excellent statistic, the Dutchman also won 15 duels, created five chances, and completed four take-ons over the two legs.
Yamal somehow on the losing side
© Iconsport
If the world was not already introduced to Yamal at Euro 2024, then they certainly have been now after his scintillating performance in both legs, with the 17-year-old the most unfortunate to end on the losing side.
A constant menace down the right flank, Yamal completed 14 dribbles tonight, which is the second-most any player has managed in a semi-final match in the competition’s history, with Lionel Messi against Manchester United in 2008 the only player to top that (16).
On another night, he could have been the match winner too, were it not for Yann Sommer, who was on hand to deny him on five separate occasions this evening, most notably with the final kick of the 90 with the aggregate score at 6-6.
Goals, goals, goals
To round off the list of remarkable statistics that have come from tonight’s thriller, it is no surprise that this tie has equalled the record for the highest aggregate score ever seen in a Champions League semi-final.
Liverpool also saw off Roma 7-6 on aggregate to reach the final in 2018, but in comparison, that tie only had a fraction of the drama, as Jurgen Klopp’s men led 5-2 from the first leg at home, and were 7-3 up on aggregate going in at the break in Rome, before the Giallorossi’s fightback came just too late.
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