Rise of a Football God-Chapter 443 - 90 minutes to decide a season

FWEEEE!

The referee's whistle cut through the noise like a blade, the sacred signal to start the game at the San Siro.

And the game started.

The 90 minutes journey started.

Tonight, this was a game to die for. A game to kill for.

90 minutes to decide a season for Inter Milan. But for FC Barcelona, the once Kings of Europe? It was 90 minutes to decide a decade.

It was more than a decade since FC Barcelona last made it to the final of the UEFA Champions League, in 2015 where they defeated another Italian side in a prime Juventus led by an ageing Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo.

Tonight, it was not the final yet, but the road to the final.

It was the semifinal.

And it was not against that dynamic Juventus team, rather, it was against Simone Inzaghi's stalwart Inter Milan side.

The side boasting the best defense in all of Europe. A club that embraced and embodied the famous old-style defending of Italian clubs, a club that channeled the spirit of old Italian heroes; the Paulo Maldinis, the Nestas, the Cannavaros, the Leonardo Bonuccis and Girgio Chiellinis.

Last week, at the Spotify Camp Nou, FC Barcelona did it once, breaking down the stalwart defense that was feared across Europe as they scored 3 great goals.

Could they do it a second time?

Could they do it tonight?

Could they do it at the San Siro?

No one knew, and that was the joy of it, the unpredictability of the game. It was why millions of football fans across the world tuned in to watch the game.

And like expected, it was a banger.

It was an epic from the onset.

From the first minute of the game, FC Barcelona showed what they were made of at the San Siro.

Last week, they may have played at home but then, they were coming off the back of a grueling Copa del Rey final with none other than their archrivals, Real Madrid. A game that tested their grit and mettle.

Hansi Flick could not afford to push his players too much in that period so as not to risk injury, this was why Barcelona relieved the tempo of the game a bit.

But tonight?

Tonight, the core FC Barcelona players were well rested and hungry, starved of action, eager to enter the pitch and pounce on prey. Hunt, predate, and devour.

The Italian fans turned the stadium into a literal cauldron of noise.

BOOOOOO!!!

Loud boos followed every FC Barcelona touch of the ball and considering that for the first few minutes, Barcelona dominated possession after kickoff, it was a literal non-stop booing.

But despite the booing, FC Barcelona tried.

In the hostile atmosphere created by the enemy fans, the FC Barcelona players thrived, flexing the Hansi Flick mentality.

Tonight, Inter Milan started in their regular 3-5-2 formation.

Yann Sommer started in between the posts, while the defensive trio ahead of him comprised of Alessandro Bastoni, Acerbi, and Bisseck.

The midfield five comprised Federico Dimarco, Mkhitaryan, Calhanoglou, Nicolo Barella, and Denzel Dumfries. Ahead of the stacked midfield is the dynamic offensive duo of Lautaro Martinex and Marcus Thuram.

It was a fearsome Inter lineup, the best there was this season, and yet against the sledgehammer called FC Barcelona, even at home, this lineup could not dominate as they conceded possession to Hansi Flick's Barcelona.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Tiki taka, they passed it in triangular patterns around the midfield, running circles around the Inter Milan midfielders though they had more numbers in midfield.

Having more numbers in midfield did not mean they stayed in midfield though. Inter Milan's defense was feared for a reason.

When the opposition was in possession, the midfield tended to drop to defense, making it a literal 8-man defense.

And buoyed by their coach, Simone Inzaghi's defensive footballing philosophy, and buoyed even more by the noise being made by their fans, Inter Milan turned the San Siro into a fortress.

And in extension, the players turned their defense into an impenetrable bastion that was safe from the Barcelona invasion.

The FC Barcelona players were electric.

In midfield, Pedri and Frankie De Jong pulled the strings, helped by Gavi while in attack, FC Barcelona was just electric.

The dynamic Barca front trio tonight were electric.

Lamine Yamal seemed to have drank directly from the cup of life before the game because the boy was playing like a magician.

With every swing of his wand, the teenage prodigy did something that made fans to rise to their feet in awe.

Was it a drop of the shoulder? A la croquet? An elastico? A nutmeg? A roulette? Lamine Yamal was a menace.

As for Raphinha, he was everywhere, running like a tireless bull.

He kept on running into space, making the Inter Milan defense shake in trepidation because FC Barcelona had more than enough players to feed him dangerous balls, their striker included.

Yes, tonight, Sam played like a god.

His impact was felt.

Every touch of the ball that he had felt like a touch from heaven. Every movement of his body left the defenders panicking, scrambling, resulting in silly tackles that attracted 2 yellow cards already. freewebnoveℓ.com

Sam didn't have a single shot at goal yet but still, his impact was felt.

He and Lamine Yamal were menaces together. Where Yamal stopped, he started from there, running rings around the Inter Milan defense, playmaking to set up Raphinha at every opportunity.

The Inter defense was just too solid to let out an easy goal. If it was any othr defense in Europe, Sam was sure that they would have scored already.

And yet, it was not all Barcelona.

Inter Milan may not be technical and dynamic like FC Barcelona, but they also had their own style of play; grounded, old-school, physical attacking style.

Abusing the physicality of their attackers, Inter Milan also created their own chances, and unlike FC Barcelona, they took actual shots at goal but Ter Stegen was on top of his game, saving every shot that was sent his way.

In the 23rd minute of the game, against the run of play, Lautaro Martinez did it, putting the ball in the net.

But before he could celebrate.

FWEEE!

The offside flag was raised.

'Dammit!'

That was the closest that Inter Milan got.

In the 38th minute, Lamine Yamal hit the bar after a crazy solo run and shot.

5 minutes later, Sam weaved his way through the Inter Milan defense like a weaver, unleashing a shot only for Yann Sommer to pull off a crazy save.

It was a game filled with a lot of tension.

It was intense, it was end to end.

And then, the first half finally came to an end.

0-0.