Barcelona vs Inter: 4 Takeaways From Yesterday’s Classic

Few football pundits could have predicted the opening leg of the Barcelona vs Inter Champions League semi-final tie would pan out the way it did. Going into this game, the two teams were on opposite ends of the form spectrum. Inter, missing key players, were struggling domestically and had been dumped out of the Coppa Italia by their neighbors AC Milan. 

Barçelona, on the other hand, had won their last three La Liga games on the trot (albeit by slim margins). Their last game before their date with Inter was the 3-2 extra-time win over perennial rivals Real Madrid that won them the Copa del Rey. But half a minute into yesterday’s game, the Catalans found themselves a goal down. 20 minutes later, they were two goals down.

What followed was a breathless contest that went contrary to the script, thrilling fans while delivering a bagful of goals. Here are a few talking points this classic raised that will have tongues wagging for weeks to come. 

Thuram and Dumfries Return Just In Time

This duo scored all three of Inter’s goals. That’s how important they were to Inter’s cause last night and that’s how much Simone Inzaghi has missed the qualities they bring to the team. Denzel Dumfries hasn’t played since Inter’s win over Atalanta in Bergamo in mid-March. While Matteo Darmian has been deputizing commendably for the Dutchman, there will always be a marked difference in the contributions of a wing-back in his prime and those of a veteran.

No one has scored more goals than Dumfries for Inter this season besides Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez. He underlined his potency as an attacker with two goals, the second of which will be the envy of accomplished forwards. His strength in the air has proven an asset for Inter both offensively and defensively, as was the case against Barcelona. Few will argue that Dumfries’ Man of the Match award was well deserved. 

Thuram’s absence since Inter’s second leg game against Bayern Munich also weakened the Milanese offense substantially. Thankfully the result didn’t prevent Internazionale’s progress into the Champions League semis. His timely return not only gave Inzaghi’s men the opening goal yesterday, it gave them a reliable counter-attacking outlet. That audaciously taken opener also gave Inter the belief they could beat on-form Barcelona on their patch.     

Is Yamal Messi’s Heir apparent?

“I haven’t seen a player like Lamine Yamal in the last eight or nine years. We had to put three players on him,” was Simone Inzaghi’s assessment of the Barça number 19. The world of football is quickly running out of superlatives for the 17-year-old. The media has been awash with Yamal comparisons to the 2003-2004 Lionel Messi for a while now. If the young Spaniard continues producing the goods on football’s biggest stages like he did yesterday, he might go on to emulate his idol’s record-breaking accomplishments.

When his team was two down halfway into the first period, Yamal lifted them back into the game with a dazzling solo goal. Shades of Messi were evident in the way he weaved past defenders and produced a left-foot curler that Yann Sommer had no chance of saving. Before this, the Barça prodigy was inches away from adding to his impressive assist tally. But Ferran Torres couldn’t convert his square pass. Another of the youngster’s runs ended in a shot that skimmed the crossbar.

Yamal skipping past Federico Dimarco and Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the right flank would be the theme for most of the game. His deft first touch, speed of thought, and bottomless bag of tricks enabled him to unlock Inter’s low-block defense at will. Inzaghi will want to forget Yamal’s 100th club appearance in a hurry. But he has no choice but to ruminate on replays of those humiliating moments. That’s if he hopes to figure out a way of stifling the fleet-footed wunderkind in next week’s return leg at the San Siro.  

Age Is Nothing But a Number

Much of the Barcelona vs Inter pre-match chatter focused on the ages of their respective players. Barçelona’s starting 11 had only four outfield players above 25 years of age. Dani Olmo, Iñigo Martinez, Joules Koundé, and Frenkie de Jong. Of these, only Martinez is above 30. Inter, on the other hand, had only one player below 25- Yann Bissek. 

With this age difference, and the recent forms of Inter and Barça going into this clash, the latter was expected to run rings around the former. While it is true that the Catalans hogged the ball (66% to Inter’s 34% possession) and launched more attacks, it was far from a one-sided affair. The scoreline aside, other stats indicate Inter’s stake in the contest. Collectively, the Nerrazzuri covered more ground than the players in red and blue (114km to Barça’s 112km). They also recovered more balls- 35 to 33.  

Barça Ready For Life Post-Lewandowski

Barcelona’s top scorer this season Robert Lewandowski was at the Camp Nou, but he was no more than a cheering spectator. A hamstring injury ruled him out, forcing Hansi Flick to employ Ferran Torres as a makeshift center-forward. The former Manchester City winger has done a commendable job in the number 9 role. His equalizer yesterday a few minutes before the half-time whistle, gave Barça’s confidence a timely shot in the arm.

Over the weekend, he scored one of the three goals that helped Barcelona to their 32nd Copa del Rey trophy. Torres was also on target in the 4-3 nailbiter against Celta Vigo two weeks ago. With the Barça number 7 proving a reliable source of goals and wingers Raphinha and Lamine Yamal chipping in consistently, Lewandowski’s absence may not be keenly felt. Even if the Poland striker doesn’t recover in time for the Barcelona vs Inter second leg, the Catalans still have plenty of firepower. 

Lewa’s recently renewed contract will run until 2026. His time at Barcelona has been highly productive. With 25 goals, he is set to bag La Liga’s Golden Boot ahead of Kylian Mbappé. But time is not on his side. At 36 years of age, he is the oldest player on Flick’s youthful squad. It therefore won’t come as a surprise if Barçelona chooses to cash in on him in the summer before his contract expires.