Inter Milan 4-3 AET (7-6 agg.) Barcelona: A Champions League semifinal for the ages

Inter Milan are headed to the UEFA Champions League final on May 31 after outlasting Barcelona, 4-3 on the night (after extra time) and 7-6 on aggregate, in an outrageous semifinal tie that might just go down as the greatest in the competition’s storied history.

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Just as they did in the first leg last week, Inter Milan raced out to a 2-0 lead that Barcelona quickly erased. Lautaro Martinez opened the scoring in the 21st minute and Hakan Calhanoglu made it 2-0 from the penalty spot just before halftime, but Eric Garcia smashed Barcelona’s first in the 54th and Dani Olmo headed home right on the hour mark — right back where we started the tie and the night.

Barcelona thought they had won it in the 87th minute when Raphinha was denied by Yann Sommer at the near post but fired just inside the far post with the rebound, but it was simply Inter Milan’s turn for a dramatic comeback. Denzel Dumfries broke through on the right wing and squared a ball to the top of the six-yard box where Francesco Acerbi lifted into the top corner first-time. 90:00, +2:42 on the clock — right back to the start, again.

The extra-time winner also originated down the right wing for Inter, as Marcus Thuram twisted and turned his way past multiple defenders and into a yard of space, which allowed him to find Medhi Taremi with his back to the goal at the corner of the six. Taremi cushioned the ball back to Davide Frattesi and he stroked a curler through traffic to find the back of the net. Barcelona had seven shots in the 21 minutes (plus stoppage) that followed, but Sommer made two more saves (seven on the night) as Lamine Yamal and Co., knocked and pounded from the doorstep but the Blaugrana couldn’t force their way in again.

Inter Milan will face either PSG in the final at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena after they beat Arsenal 2-1 on Wednesday and 3-1 over two legs.

Player ratings - Inter Milan vs Barcelona

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What’s next?

• Barcelona vs Real Madrid — Sunday, 10:15 am ET
• Torino vs Inter Milan — Sunday, 12 pm ET

Inter Milan vs Barcelona live updates - by Andy Edwards

Inter Milan vs Barcelona final score: 4-3 (7-6 agg.)

Goalscorers: Lautaro Martinez (21'), Hakan Calhanoglu (45' - PK), Eric Garcia (54'), Dani Olmo (60'), Raphinha (88'), Francesco Acerbi (90'+3), Davide Frattesi (99')

GOAL! Inter Milan 4-3 (7-6 agg.) Barcelona: Frattesi curls home to regain the lead (99')

GOAL! Inter Milan 3-3 (6-6 agg.) Barcelona: Acerbi turns home Dumfries’ cross in stoppage time (90'+3)

GOAL! Inter Milan 2-3 (5-6 agg.) Barcelona: Raphinha completes the comeback on try no. 2 (88')

GOAL! Inter Milan 2-2 (5-5 agg.) Barcelona: Olmo heads home at the back post to tie it back up (60')

GOAL! Inter Milan 2-1 (5-4 agg.) Barcelona: Garcia volleys home with an instant response (54')

OFFSIDE! Acerbi heads home from a free kick but the flag goes up (52')

Barcelona struggle to defend set pieces and Inter Milan so nearly made them pay again. Crisis averted, but Barca still on the ropes.

PENALTY! GOAL! Inter Milan 2-0 (5-3 agg.) Barcelona: Cubarsi takes down Lautaro; Calhanoglu converts (45')

GOAL! Inter Milan 1-0 (4-3 agg.) Barcelona: Martinez finishes a brilliant transition in a flash (21')

Inter Milan starting linup

Sommer - Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni - Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco - Martinez, Thuram

Barcelona starting lineup

Szczesny - Garcia, Cubarsi, Martinez, Martin - De Jong, Pedri, Olmo - Yamal, Raphinha, Torres

How to watch Inter Milan vs Barcelona live, stream link and start time

Kick off time: 3pm ET Tuesday (May 6)

Venue: San Siro — Milan

TV Channel: Peacock

Streaming: Stream live on Peacock

The 3-3 draw in Spain saw a goal in the first minute and action from front-to-back that included a tour de force performance from Barca teen phenom Lamine Yamal. That leg happened without Robert Lewandowski but with a home crowd, and Inter Milan will fancy their chances of using the Italian atmosphere as a boost into a second Champions league final in three years.

Only six teams have won four-or-more European Cups, and Inter would love to become the seventh. Barca, meanwhile want to become just the third team to claim six.

Inter Milan team news, focus

It was a heavily-changed Inter that beat Verona 1-0 on Saturday at the San Siro. They are without Valentin Carboni and almost certainly set to miss Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Pavard.

Barcelona team news, focus

Barca rotated heavily at Valladolid and went down early, needing some of its stars to come off the bench and deliver all three points. Robert Lewandowski looks set to return but Jules Kounde, Marc Bernal, Marc Casado, and Pablo Torre will miss out.

Inter Milan vs Barcelona prediction

Of course anything could happen and San Siro will be a cauldron, but Lewandowski’s return really feels like a tipping point. Inter Milan 1-2 Barcelona.