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Barcelona and Inter Milan played out a thrilling 3–3 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Wednesday evening.
The Italian visitors burst into a two-goal lead through Marcus Thuram and Denzel Dumfries, but 16-year-old Lamine Yamal inspired a Barcelona comeback with a dazzling solo goal, before Ferran Torres levelled the tie. Dumfries struck again, only for Yann Sommer to inadvertently turn the ball into his own net to ensure a breathless stalemate at the halfway point of the tie.
“Conceding that many goals at home is unacceptable,” said Raphinha, whose powerful strike forced the own goal. “But Inter were very good—we have to give them credit. The key thing is we’re still in this.”
Despite suffering three consecutive domestic defeats and seeing their treble hopes falter, Inter put in a spirited display in Catalonia. “After those losses, we saw the real Inter tonight,” said Dumfries. “We played with heart. It’s still all to play for.”
Thuram, passed fit after a thigh injury, opened the scoring within 30 seconds—the fastest goal ever in a Champions League semi-final—thanks to a low cross from Dumfries and a slip by Iñigo Martínez, allowing the Frenchman to score with a back-heel flick.
Barça regrouped and surged forward, cheered on by a tense home crowd. However, it was Inter who scored next, with Dumfries acrobatically volleying in after Francesco Acerbi’s flick-on from a corner.
Yamal, making his 100th appearance for the club, soon pulled one back with a solo effort worthy of Lionel Messi. Drifting in from the right past multiple defenders, the teenager slotted the ball off the inside of the post to make history as the youngest-ever scorer in a Champions League semi-final.
He nearly repeated the feat moments later, twisting past Federico Dimarco and forcing a fingertip save from Sommer onto the bar.
Torres then drew Barça level on 38 minutes after Pedri’s clever assist found Raphinha, whose header across goal was tucked in by the forward.
In the second half, both sides lost key players to injury—Jules Koundé for Barcelona and Lautaro Martínez for Inter—before the Italians struck again. Dumfries headed home a corner, the ball deflecting in off Dani Olmo.
Barcelona, however, hit back almost instantly. Raphinha’s thunderous shot from the edge of the box rattled the crossbar and rebounded off Sommer into the net.
Pau Cubarsí produced a crucial tackle to deny Thuram late on, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside. Yamal clipped the bar again near the end, but the sides could not be separated.
The return leg will be played in Milan next Tuesday, with the winner advancing to the final in Munich on May 31 to face either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal.
