Inter reach Champions League final after edging out Barcelona 4-3 (7-6 agg) in breathless thriller

Hansi Flick stood in the rain-soaked San Siro tunnel, pride written across his face despite the disappointment.

Barcelona had just fallen 4-3 to Inter Milan after extra time, crashing out of the Champions League 7-6 on aggregate in a semi-final that had everything, except a fair ending, in Flick’s view.

“I’m disappointed, but not with the players or their performance,” he said post-match. “They tried everything. It is what it is. We’re out, but next year we’ll try again.”

The semi-final veered between structure and chaos, poetry and panic. But while Barcelona left everything on the pitch, it was Inter who progressed, clutching the small margins Flick was so frustrated by.

“I don’t want to talk too much about the referee,” he added. “But every 50-50 decision went their way.”

His frustration was understandable. VAR overturned a potential penalty for a foul on Lamine Yamal. A string of tight calls disrupted Barcelona’s momentum.

But even in his grievance, Flick was respectful. “I’ve told him what I think, but I’m not going to say it here,” he said. “It’s not fair to my team, who did an amazing job.”

Barcelona were brave. They came from two goals down to lead 3-2 through Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo. They found hope through Raphinha. But Inter were relentless.

Simone Inzaghi’s side were bold and brilliant, their press suffocating and wing-backs devastating.

Federico Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries tore down the flanks, while Lautaro Martinez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan did the damage up top.

Yann Sommer made vital stops. Francesco Acerbi scored late to force extra time, and Davide Frattesi delivered the decisive blow in the 99th minute.

“Inter also plays and is a great team,” Flick admitted. “They defend very well and have good forwards. They keep possession, they have good automatic mechanisms.”

Barcelona will be left to reflect on what could have been. They were fearless but flawed. Heroic but raw. Flick sees this as a lesson more than a failure.

“We’ll learn – it’s a progression,” he said. “We don’t have much time to train. We’ll be back next season.”

There is no time to dwell. Barcelona face Real Madrid at Montjuic on Sunday in a crucial La Liga game.

Inter march on to the final. They will meet either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal, who settle their tie tomorrow in Paris.

Whoever emerges from that battle knows one thing – Inter are ready.