Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi was understandably emotional and happy about his team's qualification for the Champions League final. For the second time in the last three seasons, the Nerazzurri will be competing for the trophy after dramatically eliminating Barcelona 4:3 after extra time in the second leg in Milan and a 7:6 aggregate score from the two legs.

Inter led 2:0 at half-time before the Catalans responded with a complete turnaround in the second half. However, Francesco Acerbi first equalized in added time and then in extra time substitute Davide Frattesi scored for the final 4:3.

"First of all, I want to congratulate Barcelona - an extremely strong team. To be eliminated, we needed a super Inter - applause for these players who played two monstrous games. I am happy to be their coach. They gave me everything. It is fair that they enjoy their success in this stadium. We had some problems, but with heart we overcame every obstacle. We tried to do it with the qualities we have. After the first game we had a plan for the rematch, but without the sacrifice and help of each of us, you cannot win a match like this. They (ed. - the players) deserve this final", said Inzaghi, who will try to improve on the team's performance in 2023, when the Italian champions lost 0:1 to Manchester City.

His colleague at the helm of Barca, Hansi Flick, said his players have nothing to be ashamed of. "I know everyone is disappointed right now. We invested a lot in this match. Personally, I am proud of the team that gave everything. We will come back next year and try to win the Champions League. When you see the atmosphere of today's match, you want to play in it again. We have to accept the result. Inter's forwards are physically strong and experienced. We have a young team and we will improve. Our job is to make this team better and better. We can improve in defense, but also in attack. In the second half, we played better as a team. This is a tough pill to swallow, but we have to get back on our feet. This is the message I want to send to the players. I think they deserved to be in the final. When they look in the mirror, they can be really proud of what they showed", shared the German. | BGNES