In The Zone: Unpicking Inter's remarkable semi-final win against Barcelona
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
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Inter's resilience and competitive edge, well-timed substitutions and Yann Sommer were key to the Nerazzurri's Champions League semi-final victory.
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It was a UEFA Champions League semi-final neither side deserved to lose. But as the dust settled on Inter's thrilling 4-3 second-leg triumph over Barcelona, the pivotal ingredients identified by the UEFA Technical Observer Group included Inter's formidable resilience and competitive edge.
"They are a big, competitive team, well-disciplined, and they go to the end with incredible belief," said the UEFA Technical Observer Group, highlighting an element we will explore in the following analysis, brought to you by FedEx.
"It was experience against youth, a defence-based team against an attacking team, and each executed it with an elite performance over 120 minutes," added the UEFA Technical Observer Group.
On the point about Inter's experience, their starting XI featured just one player aged 25 or under; Barcelona's had six. Yet it was the oldest player on the pitch, 37-year-old centre-back Francesco Acerbi, who scored the 93rd-minute equaliser that took the game into extra time, before Davide Frattesi's winning goal, which features in the first clip below.
After Mehdi Taremi flicks on from goalkeeper Yann Sommer's long free-kick, there is much to admire in the strength and skill of Marcus Thuram, who holds the ball up before sidestepping Ronald Araújo as he gets into the box. From Thuram's cutback, Taremi lays off to Frattesi who, in pausing his strike, gains the space to shoot around Pau Cubarsí and into the bottom corner.
As Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said afterwards: "The Inter strikers are really good; they can keep the ball, they're really strong but they are also experienced. We have a young team. We will improve."
Key saves and substitutions
Flick's young side, according to the UEFA Technical Observer Group, are arguably unsurpassed this season for attacking quality – "The creativity and freedom in the attacking play of Barcelona is among the best, if not the best, in the competition" – and they would have surely won but for the brilliance of Sommer.
This is exhibited in the clips in the video below – first with his stop from Eric García and then with his brilliant fingertip intervention to foil Lamine Yamal deep into extra time.
Altogether, the shots that Sommer saved had an accumulated xG of 1.21. Speaking to Sky Italia, the Player of the Match said: "Which save will I remember? The last one on Lamine Yamal; he is a great player, and fortunately it didn't go in. Many teams would have given up after going down 3-2, but we didn't and managed to come back.
"You don't win and reach a final without a bit of suffering," added Sommer. To dig deep, Inter benefited from the impact of coach Simone Inzaghi's substitutes, including Taremi and Frattesi who both figure in the opening clip. As the UEFA Technical Observer Group added: "They brought a lot of energy which allowed Inter to carry on competing."
Coaching discussion
For the UEFA Technical Observer Group, the psychological dimension of Tuesday's match offers a valuable lesson for coaches.
"The psychology of Inter was amazing with the way they kept believing. To see a 37-year-old centre-half, Acerbi, believing he can score in the last minutes of a game from open play shows you their mentality. They've used the experience of being in the Champions League final in 2023 – and many seasons in the competition – to be able to carry on believing and get through.
"There is so much you can do as a coach on technical, tactical and physical aspects but the psychological side of football is something that players learn by experience. Decision-making in a match like this is an aspect you need to learn by getting through these difficult moments and young players need to be in these positions and have these experiences to gain the know-how.
"That said, Barcelona also showed incredible belief in what they do. They played the same when 2-0 down as when it was 0-0 and that's resilience too. What Hansi Flick has created is an environment where they don't panic and that offers a lesson for coaches about the importance of creating a safe environment to allow players to feel comfortable even when making mistakes."
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