Inter Milan Humbles Barcelona In Impressive Fashion

 Barcelona entered the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday with the goal of leaving a lasting impression away from home, still riding high off the sensation of being in first place of the La Liga standings. After all, a victory at San Siro would significantly help them in their effort to advance from the group.

Additionally, their rivals Inter Milan seemed to be a squad in danger. If recent results are any indication, Xavi's team should be considered the overwhelming favorite

The Blaugrana management decided to start a backline consisting of Sergi Roberto, Eric Garcia, Andreas Christensen, and Marcos Alonso for the match against the Nerazzurri. Sergio Busquets served as the center of the midfield, which featured Gavi and Pedri. Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele, and Raphinha made up the forward line.

Barcelona commanded the possession right away. The first half's narrative, though, remained the same: Inter Milan defended fiercely and deeply while Catalonia controlled the majority of the ball and threatened on the break. As a result, the host had a higher chance of winning.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen had to make a stop as early as the seventh minute when Calhanoglu tested him from more than 20 yards away.

In the 25th minute of the match, the referee called for an Inter penalty after seeing Eric Garcia handball the ball. When the play was reviewed by VAR, it was determined that there was an offside component to the move, and the spot-kick was canceled.

In the end, Hasan Calhanoglu gave Simone Inzaghi's team the lead late in the first half. The Turkish international gave Inter the lead at the break with a well-placed volley from outside the area that went past a diving Ter Stegen.

The second half started out fairly similarly and followed a similar structure. In the first ten minutes of the half, Ousmane Dembele nearly scored an equalizer, but Andre Onana parried his attempt.

Through Pedri, Barcelona ultimately evened the score in the 66th minute. The Spaniard finished off a straightforward tap-in from Dembele's cross, but VAR disallowed the score due to a tiny handball by Ansu Fati.

For the final 20 minutes, the Catalans pushed themselves harder than ever in an effort to find a way to tie the score. However, Inter's impenetrable defense only served to heighten the visitors' apprehension. The Barcelona players were obviously most frustrated by the 70th minute.

In the 91st minute, when the ball struck Dumfries' arm, VAR checked for a Barcelona penalty, which proved to be a pivotal moment in the game. Unfortunately, no punishment was imposed.

The hosts eventually prevailed by a slim margin in the match. As a result, Barcelona drops to third place in their Champions League group, raising questions over whether they will advance further. Barcelona needs to win all three of its remaining games to ensure a spot in the next round. Now there is actual pressure.