Inter so nearly secured their qualification to the Champions League’s knockout rounds on Wednesday night as they shared six goals with Barcelona in a dramatic 3-3 draw at the Camp Nou. The Catalans could well have been knocked out on the night, but were saved by a stoppage-time leveller from Robert Lewandowski.
The hosts led from the first half but Inter then turned the game on its head. Nicolo Barella and Lautaro Martinez had them leading, but Barcelona levelled. Robin Gosens then thought he had won it, but Lewandowski equalised again for the hosts.
Inter now have their own fate in their own hands, knowing that one win from their last two group games will see them through.
Barcelona brighter to start
Barcelona’s first-half opener was exactly what they deserved, and Simone Inzaghi’s Inter looked as though they were going to be in for a long night. Although Edin Dzeko missed the kind of chance that he and Inter would have expected to see converted, the visitors were largely outplayed in the opening 45 minutes.
The Catalans deservedly got themselves ahead close to the interval through French winger Ousmane Dembele as he tapped into an open goal from close range. With five minutes to play until the break, Sergi Roberto found space in the right of the box and centred for Dembele to finish from in front of the goal.
Inter reacted, Barcelona did too, chaos unfolded
Inter looked a different side after half-time though, despite Inzaghi not making the changes that might have been expected of him. The Nerazzurri were given a helping hand in their comeback from Barcelona.
Gerard Pique showed signs of rustiness as he inexplicably vacated his area as Alessandro Bastoni played a gorgeous ball into the box, allowing Nicolo Barella to control and finish to level the score. From there, needing a win, Barcelona were in trouble.
Their woes only worsened when Lautaro Martinez scored a fine Inter second, finishing from the edge of the area as his effort hit both posts before crossing Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s goalline.
Robert Lewandowski struck a leveller with less than 10 minutes to play, seeing his shot deflect in off Bastoni, and Barcelona suddenly had hope again.
Robin Gosens looked to kill it off in the 89th minute, but Lewandowski headed in a sixth goal on the night to make for a tense final few minutes.
