Inter Milan has reached the Champions League final, their second appearance in three years, after a thrilling 4-3 extra-time victory (7-6 on aggregate) over Barcelona. The match at the San Siro was memorable, particularly for midfielder Davide Frattesi`s pivotal and unconventional goal in the 99th minute.
The goal came after Mehdi Taremi received the ball from Marcus Thuram and unselfishly passed it to Frattesi. Frattesi showed composure, using a deceptive fake shot before burying the ball past the Barcelona goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny, to give Inter the lead. This was remarkably only Frattesi`s seventh goal of the season and his first in eight appearances for the club in all competitions. His previous significant goal was an 88th-minute winner in the first leg of Inter`s 4-3 aggregate quarterfinal victory over Bayern Munich.
Speaking to CBS Sports after the match, Frattesi was asked about his composure when scoring such a high-stakes goal. His response was blunt:
`I don`t know, maybe I was thinking that if I don`t score, I`m f—ed,` Frattesi admitted.
Moments of intense pressure in front of goal can often lead to tunnel vision, but the Inter midfielder successfully channeled that pressure into a calm and decisive finish that propelled his team to the Champions League final, scheduled for May 31. While the ultimate goal of winning the final and potentially challenging Napoli for the Serie A title in the remaining three matches is still ahead, the emergence of players like Frattesi delivering in key moments demonstrates the team`s potential.
