Barcelona on the brink as Lewandowski rescues draw with Inter
Group C
FC Barcelona 3-3 Inter Milan
FC Barcelona are still alive in the Champions League after a heart-stopping 3-3 draw with Inter at the Camp Nou.
The Blaugrana were minutes away from defeat, however Robert Lewandowski’s late header means they’re still mathematically alive.
However the draw, along with last week’s defeat in Italy, means Inter only need a win in their next match against Viktoria Plzen to send Barcelona packing.
There was no shortage of action in the opening 45 minutes, with Henrikh Mykhitaryan clearing a Robert Lewandowski attempt off the line, while Edin Dzeko volleyed a Hakan Calhanoglu free-kick off the underside of the bar soon after.
From there, Barcelona, buoyed on by the boisterous crowd at the Camp Nou, began to pin Inter back.
First, Raphinha fired a volley wide from in close, while Andre Onana did well to get a hand on a Pedri effort.
The pressure eventually paid off in the 40th minute, Raphinha winning the ball on right and finding Sergi Roberto in the box.
The Spaniard then squared it for Dembele, who tapped home for the opening goal.
Barcelona continued to attack after the restart, but it was Inter who found the back of the net to stun the home fans.
Alessandro Bastoni’s ball over the top was inexplicably let through by Gerard Pique, allowing Barella to take a touch and smash home into the roof of the net.
The goal swung momentum firmly in Inter’s favour, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen stopping efforts from Calhanoglu and Lautaro, before the Nerazzurri took the lead in stunning fashion in the 60th minute.
After chesting down the ball and taking it away from his defender, Lautaro fired a low shot that hit the inside of one upright, rolled along the line, and hit the other before going in.
With their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread Barcelona responded through Robert Lewandowski, who first forced Onana into a great save from a tight angle, before levelling the score with eight minutes remaining after firing home a deflected effort.
Inter thought they had secured all three points when Robin Gosens kept his cool to fire home in the 89th minute, only for Lewandowski to keep Barcelona’s European dreams alive by heading home the equaliser in injury time.
Tonight’s other Champions League results:
Group A
- SSC Napoli 4-2 Ajax
- Rangers 1-7 Liverpool
Group B
- Atletico Madrid 0-0 Club Brugge
- Bayer Leverkusen 0-3 FC Porto
Group C
- Viktoria Plzen 2-4 Bayern Munich
Group D
- Sporting Lisbon 0-2 Olympique Marseille
- Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
