Inzaghi: ‘Inter played with our strengths, but a Barcelona player is sensational’ after 4-3 victory

epa12078723 Inter Milan’s head coach Simone Inzaghi gestures as he gives instructions during the UEFA Champions League semifinal 2nd leg soccer match between Inter Milan and FC Barcelona, in Milan, Italy, 06 May 2025. EPA-EFE/DANIEL DAL ZENNARO

Simone Inzaghi notes Inter faced Barcelona ‘to play it with our strengths’ and deserve to be in the Champions League Final, but insists Lamine Yamal wasn’t the opponent who impressed him the most.

The coach has taken the Nerazzurri into their second Champions League Final in just three seasons, an extraordinary achievement especially considering their budget was lower than any of the teams who even qualified for the quarter-finals.

It was another dramatic night after the 3-3 in Montjuic, as they were leading 2-0 on the night with Lautaro Martinez and a Hakan Calhanoglu penalty, but Barcelona turned it around to lead 3-2 with Eric Garcia, Dani Olmo and Raphinha.

Francesco Acerbi forced extra time at the 93^rd minute with his first ever Champions League goal at the age of 37, after which Davide Frattesi struck to secure the 4-3 victory, 7-6 on aggregate.

Inzaghi generous in victory

“We must compliment Barcelona too, because they are truly a strong opponent,” Inzaghi told Sky Sport Italia.

“It required a super Inter, so I praise my lads for putting in two incredible performances over the two legs. It was the only way to reach the Final, I am so proud to be their coach, as they gave it everything and those who came off the bench had the right attitude too.

“They should enjoy every moment in front of these fans, we are truly happy. They were exemplary. I told the players to believe, that we could try to limit Barcelona, even though it wasn’t easy to do. We had Lautaro, Dumfries and Frattesi who were not 100 per cent fit, so we had to use our hearts to push through every obstacle.”

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Inter 4-3 Barcelona

Inter are now in their second Champions League Final over the last three years, an extraordinary result considering they had the smallest budget of all the teams in the last eight of the tournament.

“We tried to play it with our strengths. We were never presumptuous, we gave it our all and deserved to reach the Final,” said Inzaghi.

Inzaghi impressed with De Jong

The pre-match talk was all about Lamine Yamal, who was a nightmare for the Inter defence in the first leg, but Inzaghi had someone else in mind.

“A lot was said about Yamal, I saw another extraordinary player over these two legs who was out injured the last time we played them.

“Frenkie de Jong impressed me every bit as much as Yamal, he cleans the ball, times the passes well, he’s wonderful. I would not change my players for anyone in the world, but over the two legs I found De Jong to be really sensational.”

Now Inter will face either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League Final in Munich on May 31.