Inter drew 3-3 away at the Camp Nou in the fourth round of the group stage of the Champions League after a crazy Pazza Inter second half.
The Nerazzurri defended deep and hurt Barcelona on the counter as well as on set pieces where Edin Dzeko hit the crossbar.
However, Barcelona drew first blood in the 40th minute via Ousmane Dembele who latched on a pass from Sergi Roberto to pass it into the open net after an Inter lapse in concentration.
In the second half Barcelona’s Gerard Pique made a horrific mistake allowing Nicolo Barella to get on the back of an Alessandro Bastoni cross to equalize in the 50th minute.
Some 13 minutes Lautaro Martinez completed Inter’s turnaround ending his goal drought finishing low and the ball went in after bouncing off both posts.
Then Polish striker Robert Lewandowski stepped into the proceedings scoring the equalizer in the 82nd minute and the home team kept pushing forward.
André Onana played a lovely long ball to Lautaro Martinez and the Argentinian assisted Robin Gosens who gave Inter the lead again in the 89th minute.
But Roberto Lewandowski scored his second goal of the night to tie the game at 3-3 which means that if Inter beat Viktoria Plzen at home in the next round at the San Siro then the Nerazzurri are through to knockout stages of the Champions League for the second year in a row.
André Onana – 6,5: Conceded 3 goals but not a single one he could do anything about. Saved what he had to and showed what a fantastic offensive weapon he is in the buildup to Gosens 3-2 goal.
Milan Skriniar – 7: Played like a leader and a captain with the armband around his arm. Took a lot of hits and gave quite a few too but above majestic in the air where he looked unbeatable.
Stefan de Vrij – 6,5: Not as good a game as last week where he was fantastic and his mistake led to Lewandowski’s first goal but before that he was solid defensively for the most part.
Alessandro Bastoni – 7: Very good performance by the youngster, especially defensively where he looked like the player he was under Conte. Got an assist for Barella’s equalizer early in the second half and fought like hell.
Denzel Dumfries – 7: Is a player with a lot of technical deficiencies but there is nothing to criticize about his work rate and attitude. Gave everything he had and then some fighting for the cause until the last drop of sweat.
Nicolo Barella – 7: Scored the all important equalizer and fought like hell, especially in the second half where he played at his absolute best showcasing his high potential.
Hakan Calhanoglu – 7: Inzaghi and Inter must be relieved to know that they have a very good backup to Brozovic in the Turkish international who has replaced the Croatian in a very good way, especially in the Champions League.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6,5: Struggled with the high tempo but what he lacks in stamina and pace he more than made up for with intelligent decision making with the ball as well as his ability to retain possession in the team.
Federico Dimarco – 6: Didn’t have the best of games and shouldn’t have started as this was not a game that suited him at all, especially given that Inter needed wingback’s who are strong in the air, something he simply isn’t.
Lautaro Martinez – 7,5: The rating is for his stellar second half where he showcased his full potential and class scoring a good goal but above all serving a gorgeous assist for Robin Gosens. MOTM.
Edin Dzeko – 6: Unlucky not to score in the first half when hitting the bar but looked tired already after 26 minutes. Always works hard but he can’t keep up with the tempo at this level anymore.
Matteo Darmian – 6: Replaced Dimarco in the 66th minute and did what he always does: play intelligently. Was lucky not to suffer a serious injury after an atrocious challenge on him by Dembele which should’ve resulted in a red.
Robin Gosens – 7: Came on for Calhanoglu in the 76th minute. By far his best performance in an Inter shirt scoring another important goal. Was decisive defensively and always a threat on the counter. Has to start now against Salernitana this weekend.
Raoul Bellanova – 6: Brought on for Edin Dzeko in the 76th minute. Showed how useful he can be defensively when disrupting Barcelona’s attempts to build from midfield. Lost header against Lewandowski for 3-3 but can’t be blamed too much for that as he shouldn’t have been marking Lewandowski to begin with.
Kristjan Asllani – N/A: Substituted on for Nicolo Barella in the 85th minute and didn’t play long enough to be rated. Will rue going for the finish and not squaring the ball when alone with Ter Stegen. Hopefully it won’t cost Inter anything.
Francesco Acerbi – N/A: Substituted on for Alessandro Bastoni in the 85th minute and didn’t play long enough to be rated.
Simone Inzaghi – 8: Got pretty much everything right from start to finish. His much criticized in-game management left nothing to be criticized on the night. Tactically spot on and the comeback from his players witness how much they have his back.
Szymon Marciniak – 6: Overall a good performance by the referee and his team except for how that horror challenge by Ousmane Dembele didn’t result in a red card.
Inter – 7: A heroic performance by the Nerazzurri but will feel aggrieved not having won the game after scoring thrice at the Camp Nou and taking the lead twice. Have everything in their own hands when hosting Viktoria Plzen at the San Siro on Wednesday October 26th, kick-off 18.45 CET.
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