Barça and Inter Draw 3-3 in Champions League Thriller
Barcelona and Inter Milan delivered a Champions League semi-final for the ages, lighting up the Estadi Olímpic with a 3-3 slugfest that had everything—stunners, chaos, drama, and two breakout stars battling for the spotlight.
The fireworks started instantly. Inter were off and running in just 30 seconds—Marcus Thuram pulling off a ridiculous backheel finish off a Denzel Dumfries assist after Inigo Martínez slipped at the worst possible time. Fastest goal ever in a UCL semi-final? Yeah, Thuram just checked that box.
But Dumfries wasn’t done. After teeing up the opener, the Dutchman channeled his inner Zlatan with a bicycle kick off a Francesco Acerbi flick—doubling Inter’s lead and leaving Barcelona fans stunned in their seats.
Barça, still riding high from their Copa del Rey win over Real Madrid, looked gassed. They needed a spark. Enter Lamine Yamal.
On his 100th appearance for the club—yes, at 17—Yamal delivered a goal of the season contender. He glided past defenders like he was in a video game, curled one off the post, and reminded the world why he’s football’s next big thing.
Moments later, Ferran Torres pounced on a cushioned header from Raphinha to bring things level. Two-nil down, now 2-2. Breathless stuff—and we weren’t even at halftime.
After the break, Inter punched again. Another corner, another Dumfries moment. He rose highest and bagged his second after a sweet delivery from Hakan Çalhanoğlu. Inter back in front.
But not for long.
Raphinha, who’d been pinging rockets all night, unleashed a 25-yard scorcher that rattled the bar and pinged off Inter keeper Yann Sommer into the net. It won’t count as his goal, but it was all him.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan thought he’d won it late for Inter, but VAR ruled him just offside. Yamal nearly had the last word, too—clipping the bar again in the dying minutes. But in a game where both teams landed punches like heavyweights, 3-3 felt fair.
Still, don’t blink. This tie’s far from over. The rematch at San Siro? Buckle up.