Barcelona and Inter Milan treated fans to an unforgettable six-goal thriller in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal clash on Wednesday night, finishing in a pulsating 3-3 draw at the Spotify Camp Nou.
The encounter, which featured a blend of individual brilliance and dramatic momentum swings, leaves the tie wide open ahead of next week’s decisive return leg in Milan.
Marcus Thuram made a stunning return to Inter’s starting lineup after missing three straight games, a stretch in which the Nerazzurri failed to score. Despite doubts over his fitness, Thuram wasted no time making an impact.
With the match barely underway, he cleverly backheeled a Denzel Dumfries cross past the Barcelona goalkeeper, giving the visitors a shock early lead.
Dumfries doubled Inter’s advantage in the 21st minute, capping off a dazzling moment with an acrobatic bicycle kick , his first of two goals on the night.
Barcelona’s response came swiftly. Lamine Yamal, who continues to shine on Europe’s biggest stage, halved the deficit in the 24th minute after weaving past two defenders and bending a sublime shot in off the far post.
The 16-year-old nearly found the equalizer moments later, dancing down the endline and rattling the crossbar with a near-impossible angle.
Barça eventually leveled the score in the 38th minute. Raphinha floated in a pinpoint header that Ferran Torres emphatically smashed into the net to make it 2-2.
Inter’s misfortunes continued as they lost captain Lautaro Martínez to injury at the break. Yet Dumfries struck again in the 63rd minute, rising high to meet a corner and restore the Italians’ lead.
But Barcelona had one more response. Just two minutes after Inter’s third, Raphinha unleashed a thunderous strike from outside the box.
The ball cannoned off the crossbar, rebounded off Yann Sommer’s back, and trickled into the goal, an unfortunate own goal that ensured the sides finished level.
The second leg in Milan promises high stakes and fireworks, with the winner set to face either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal in the final at Munich’s Allianz Arena on May 31.
PSG edged Arsenal 1-0 in the first leg of their semifinal showdown in London on Tuesday.
