We expected the chess party, and we found ourselves in the amusement park. Tactics and meticulousness landed in the corner, and in the foreground there were heels, couples, dribbles and spectacular shots. It was a match like a console. Football performance. Rollercoaster – from 2: 0 for Inter, through a 2: 2 draw and conducting Inter 3: 2, after 3: 3. Barca tired in recent weeks suddenly forgot about this fatigue. Like a defensive Inter, he first attacked and then accepted painful blows. Over the past half hour, this match has already been one big mystery.
What a match in Barcelona! Wojciech Szczęsny could only do one
Inter was to make Barcelona live, bolt access to his own goal and wait for frustration and reluctance to embrace her. Meanwhile, instead of holding the garde, he immediately attacked. A minute has not passed, and Wojciech Happiness He had to pull the ball out of the net. Barcelona In one action, she made at least two mistakes – first Jules Kounde struck the ball straight under the feet of his rival, and later, with the cross re -culture into the penalty area, Inigo Martinez slipped. So Marcus Thuram stood in front of the gate without any attackers and decided on an absolutely spectacular shot – he did not take the ball, but immediately hit her with a heel. But it was not cheap stars, and in fact the best way to score a goal with such a difficult position and with such crossed ball. Szczęsny threw himself in the ball, but he was unable to reach it.
For a dozen or so minutes he only had to defend one center – and he did it flawlessly. But in the 21st minute he was defeated again. Again a beautiful shot, again after crossing. Inter had a corner kick, and Francesco Acerbi knocked the ball played in the goal field. Denzel Dumfries made a shot with scissors. He hit perfectly – next to Szczęsny and above the head of Raphinhi standing at the goal. Barcelona was broken, she took two powerful blows. Szczęsny was without a chance at both shots. The only thing he could do was support and motivate his colleagues to get up from the boards and fight. So he clapped and shouted, although he was certainly aware that the match was going according to the dream scenario of Inter. After all, defensive masters had a two -goal advantage.
But Barcelona has learned to run away from the wall in recent weeks. It can be tired, she can have shortness of breath, but he will always find a way to ensure safety. The durable rematch in Dortmund, made up for a two -goal loss with Celta Vigo, and also reversed the result in finale King's Cup with Real. Ultimately, despite the problems, she always found a way not to deviate from the way to the destination. And with Inter was identical. She seemed to have the answer to every question again. Lamine Yamal scored a contact goal quickly, who first took the ball from his rivals, and after a while showed off excellent dribbling and a perfect shot. The ball still bounced off the post and fell into the goal. Barcelona was still running forward. Yamal knocked the bar, Dani Olmo also hit menacingly. But the second goal did not want to fall after an individual action, she was a team work – Pedri perfectly crossed to Raphinhi, and he ripped the ball straight under the feet of Ferran Torres. Yann Sommer He could feel like Szczęsny – he had to spread his hands, dig the ball out of the net a second time and motivate his colleagues to continue fighting.
Szczęsny helpless with two goals, but at the third he could behave better
Szczęsny does not complain about the lack of emotions in Barcelona. He participated, for example, in an extremely exciting meeting with Benfica in the league phase, in which he started by making simple mistakes, but later saved his team and enabled him to win 5: 4. But Wednesday's match with Inter – due to the rate, class of rival and mileage – was even more delightful. Barcelona prevailed at the end of the first half and immediately after the break, but Inter scored a goal at 3: 2. And while Szczęsny was without a chance with earlier goals, he could behave better. Well, when Hakan Calhanoglu crossed a corner kick, the Polish goalkeeper headed towards the ball, went out on the foreground, but stopped halfway. He apparently said that he would not be able to knock the ball anyway. Instead of going forward, so he preferred to go back to the goal. When he returned, Dumfries had already shot his head and managed to shift the ball over him. Inter was on the lead again.
Again, Barcelona's reaction was immediate. Raphinha banged in the next action before the penalty area – he hit the crossbar, but after a while the ball bounced off the back of Sommer and landed in the goal. It was 3: 3 and from now on this match could go in absolutely any direction. First, near the fourth goal was Inter – Henrich Mychitarian hit the goal after a perfectly conducted counterattack, but after a while it turned out that he was on a minimum offside. Indeed – just a few centimeters decided about not recognizing the goal. Later Raphinha cleverly – on the ground – hit a free kick, and Yamal hit the cross again. But ultimately, the next goals were not scored anymore.
Work of art
It was one of the stranger matches Szczęsny in his career. He let go of three goals, but his team did not lose. With two he had absolutely nothing to say. At the third one may blame himself, but he will find a consolation in several other interventions that have saved Barcelona from losing the goal. The advantage of the Pole became what at the beginning of the year was the biggest problem – Szczęsny did well at the exits outside the penalty area. When he went on such trips, he always reached the ball on time, in front of his rivals.
It is equally difficult to assess this match from the Barcelona perspective. On the one hand, a draw does not bring pride and before the rematch in Milan puts her in a rather difficult situation, but on the other – she lost in this meeting 0: 2 and 2: 3, and yet she was able to make up for the losses. Yes, she dominated in the end, created convenient occasions to win, but Inter also had a great situation to score the fourth goal. At the end, neither after Barcelona players or after Inter players, there was no satisfaction and joy. The most satisfied supporters were. They saw a football work of art.