Inter Milan are in the Champions League final for the second time in the last three years after defeating Barcelona 4-3 in extra time and 7-6 on aggregate. Their victory in front of their home fans at the San Siro had something for everyone, but it was midfielder Davide Frattesi who had a moment for the ages with his unorthodox finish in the 99th minute.
After getting the ball from Marcus Thuram, forward Mehdi Taremi was unselfish, playing the ball to Frattesi, who added a little trickery to his finish. Frattesi faked a shot before firing the ball right past Barcelona keeper Wojciech Szczesny for the go-ahead goal. You wouldn’t have been able to tell that that was only Frattesi’s seventh goal of the season or his first in eight appearances for Inter in all competitions. That last goal was also a significant one, coming in the 88th minute of the first leg of Inter’s quarterfinal clash with Bayern Munich, which they only won by a single goal, 4-3 on aggregate.
Speaking to CBS Sports after the match, when asked about how he was so composed on his finish with so much on the line, Frattesi had a simple answer.
“I don’t know, maybe I was thinking that if I don’t score, I’m f—ed,” Frattesi said.
When so much is on the line in front of the net, it’s a time that can bring tunnel vision, but the Inter midfielder made the best of it by channeling that into a composed finish that will push his team to the Champions League final on May 31. The job is far from done with that looming, and three more Serie A matches remaining to try and catch Napoli for the Scudetto, but when players like Frattesi are able to pop up and make things happen, anything is possible.
Here’s the moment:
