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Robert Lewandowski heroics save Barcelona in draw with Inter Milan

Written by ABC AUDIO on October 13, 2022

Robert Lewandowski rescued Barcelona’s Champions League knockout round hopes with two late goals to earn his side a 3-3 draw with Inter Milan at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night.

Xavi Hernandez’s Barca needed at least a draw to have a chance to avoid missing the knockout rounds for the second year in a row and the Poland international delivered the goods near the end of a dramatic second half.

Barcelona are still facing elimination at the group stage of the competition, but Lewandowski’s stoppage-time equaliser gave them a slim chance of progressing with two games left.

Inter need a home win over Viktoria Plzen next week to join Bayern Munich in the last 16.

“It’s bad, I think this Champions League is being very cruel to us,” Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez told Movistar Plus. “Now it is out of our hands. What is left for us is to turn our attention quickly to Sunday’s El Clasico [against Real Madrid], bounce back and focus on LaLiga because the Champions League became very difficult and complicated for us.”

Edin Dzeko was denied by the crossbar for Inter’s opener just after 15 minutes as the visitors looked to carry the momentum of their 1-0 win over Barca at the San Siro last Tuesday into the reverse fixture.

Barca, who pressed hard for their first, took a deserved lead into the break when Ousmane Dembele shot past Andre Onana from Sergi Roberto’s pass across the six-yard box just before half-time.

Inter drew level early in the second half through Nicolo Barella, who pounced on a cross from Alessandro Bastoni and finished past Marc-Andre ter Stegen from close range.

Lautaro Martinez fired Simone Inzagh’s side into the lead shortly past the hour mark with a fine individual effort, settling Hakan Calhanoglu’s long ball over the top of the defence, beating his marker and lashing home a low shot to pile more pressure on Barca.

Summer-signing Lewandowski did what he was brought in to do in the 82nd minute as his header from a cross into the area came back to him off an Inter defender and he shot past Onana with a second effort to make it 2-2.

But Inter’s Robin Gosens put Inter back in the lead minutes later with a tidy finish on the counter before Lewandowski headed in for his brace in second.

“It was too many mistakes, their first goal was a clear mistake by our defence, we let them have too many chances. Soccer is a game of mistakes and we can’t afford those in situations like this,” Xavi said.

“This is the Champions League and you pay a high price for each error you make. You need to win, to defend well, to score. We needed to play the entire game like we did in the first half. That intensity. Now it’s hard because we are not in control anymore.”

Barca are third in the Group C standings on four points, three behind Inter and eight adrift of Bayern, who clinched a spot in the knockout rounds with a win over Victoria Plzen on Wednesday.

Barcelona vs. Inter Milan result: Barcelona on the Champions League brink after six-goal thriller

Barcelona find themselves on the edge of another UEFA Champions League group stage exit after drawing 3-3 at home to Group C rivals Inter Milan.

The hosts capitulated in the second half, despite two late goals from Robert Lewandowski, as they were unable to find a crucial winner in Catalonia.

Ousmane Dembele’s first-half goal appeared to set Xavi’s side on the road to victory, but Inter rallied superbly after the restart, with goals from Nicolo Barella, and former Barcelona transfer target Lautaro Martinez.

Lewandowski’s two equalisers – either side of a calm finish from Robin Gosens – saved Barcelona from defeat on the night, but they will be eliminated, if Inter win either of their final two group games.

Barcelona’s veterans brutally exposed

The inquest into Barcelona’s demise at Camp Nou is likely to include some firm home truths for their experienced stars.

Xavi opted to stick with Gerard Pique in central defence, with skipper Sergio Busquets anchoring the midfield, on the night.

Pique was caught out by Nicolo Barella for Inter’s first equaliser, with Busquets too slow in possession in the build up to Lautaro Martinez’s goal.

Busquets was hooked after that, with Pique scraping through the 90 minutes, and the duo appear to be entering their final days as Barcelona players.

Neither is short of big game nous and experience, but they were exposed in transition constantly by Inter, and the sensation is growing that the end of 2022/23 will be their final act at the Camp Nou.

Lewandowski papers over the La Blaugrana Champions League cracks

On most Champions League nights, a late brace from Lewandowski would have been enough to secure a win for Barcelona, but his heroics were overshadowed at full-time.

Despite missing chances he would have expected to score before the break, he showed a razor-sharp instinct to keep the hosts in the game, as their back-line fell apart.

The former Bayern Munich star has scored five of Barcelona’s eight Champions League goals so far this season, and without him, they would already be dead and buried in Group C.

Martinez shows Barcelona what they missed out on

Lewandowski’s performance showed why Barcelona pushed so hard for him this summer, but his opposite number, Argentina international Martinez, showed why Barcelona wanted him back in 2021.

Despite the Catalans’ interest, Inter held firm on Martinez, and rejected a possible exit from the San Siro.

Without outshining Lewandowski, his link-up play caused headaches for Barcelona all night, to confidently slot past Marc ter Stegen, and lay on a late assist for Gosens.

Barcelona’s over-reliance on Lewandowski is plain to see and the presence of a reliable back-up was shown clearly by Martinez’s solid display,

Barcelona vs. Inter Milan as-it-happened

FULL-TIME: BARCELONA 3 INTER MILAN 3………INZAGHI SENT OFF!

AN INCREDIBLE NIGHT AT THE CAMP NOU!

Barcelona’s Champions League knockout hopes are hanging by a thread as they could only manage a 3-3 draw at home to Inter Milan.

Five second-half goals saw the contest swing from end to end at the Camp Nou and despite Lewandowski’s two goals, the Catalans are on the verge of Champions League group stage elimination for the second season in a row.

90+5 Mins: INTER ALMOST WIN IT!

Martinez slides Asllani through in behind but Ter Stegen rescues Barcelona at the death!!!!

90+3 Mins: LEWANDOWSKI DOES IT AGAIN!

LEWAN-GOAL-SKI SAVES BARCELONA…………AGAIN.

Garcia’s hoisted cross causes problems for Onana and Lewandowski bravely heads home to make it 3-3!!!

SIX MINUTES ADDED ON!!!

89 Mins: INTER……….ARE……….BACK……….IN……FRONT!!!

Barcelona are AGAIN torn to pieces by Inter as Onana’s long ball frees Martinez in behind a static Barca defence and his ball across the box is buried by Gosens!!!

85 Mins: Francesco Acerbi replaces Bastoni – Can either side find a winner?

81 Mins: LEWANDOWSKI EQUALISES!!!!!

Chance after chance for the Polish veteran and he finally makes it count as de Vrij fails to clear his lines and he hammers past Onana.

Final change from Xavi as Ferran Torres comes on for Gavi, Mkhitaryan is booked for a foul on de Jong, and Kristjan Asllani replaces goal scorer Barella.

78 Mins: Another cross into the box and another Lewandowski header flies off target. Dembele goes in late on Darmian and collects a booking…as the clock ticks down for Barcelona.

75 Mins: Lewandowski angles a header just over the bar from a corner, as Barcelona keep on pushing, and Inzaghi brings on Raoul Bellanova and Robin Gosens for Dzeko and Calhanoglu.

74 Mins: More changes from Xavi as Alexa Balde and Franck Kessie come for Roberto and Marcos Alonso.

70 Mins: Lewandowski has the ball in the net for Barcelona…but the offside flag is UP.

66 Mins: Double change from Xavi – Frenkie de Jong and Ansu Fati ON with Raphinha and Busquets OFF. Matteo Darmian comes on for Federico Dimarco for the visitors.

63 Mins: INTER TAKE THE LEAD………..BARCA ARE FALLING APART!

Disaster for Barcelona as Calhanoglu steals the ball from Sergio Busquets and delivers into the box. Martinez easily avoids the challenge from Eric Garcia and tucks past Ter Stegen!!!

Horror show at the back for Barca………..and they are 25 minutes away from Champions League elimination!!

62 Mins: Barcelona then wrestle back some control as Pedri tests Onana!!

60 Mins: IT’S ALL INTER NOW!!!

Buoyed back their equaliser, Inter carve out a string of chances, as Gavi does well to get back and block Dzeko’s strike.

The hero at the San Siro – Calhanoglu – almost catches Ter Stegen with a thumping effort from outside the box but the German denies him.

Dumfries then steals in on the overlap to head goalwards but Ter Stegen gets across to bat away the effort.

54 Mins: Barca almost hit back immediately as Lewandowski powers wide from Pedri’s flick.

Two bookings for Inter as the referee cautions Martinez for dissent and Stefan de Vrij for a late crunch on Pedri.

50 Mins: INTER EQUALISE!!!!!

Alessandro Bastoni’s superb free kick flies into the box and Barella ghosts in between Gavi and Gerard Pique to steer past Ter Stegen!!!

GAME ON!!!

46 Mins: We are back underway….no changes for either side at the break as Skriniar picks up a knock.

HALF TIME: BARCELONA 1 INTER MILAN 0

Chances at both ends on an entertaining night at the Camp Nou but Barcelona’s extra edge has made the crucial difference in Catalonia.

Dembele’s close range finish has put the hosts 1-0 up at the break as they look to keep their Champions League last 16 hopes alive.

Bayern Munich lead 4-0 at Viktoria Plzen at the interval – with their knockout place virtually assured – leaving Barcelona and Inter to battle for second spot in Group C.

44 Mins: Raphinha spots Onana out of position and tries an audacious effort which lands just wide of the post.

41 Mins: GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! BARCELONA TAKE THE LEAD!!!

Barca’s pressure finally pays off!!

Raphinha did well to keep the ball in play and find the onrushing Sergi Roberto and his ball across the box is fired home by Dembele!!!

40 Mins: Dembele denied by Onana and the Cameroonian stopper then sprawls to block Pedri from close range

39 Mins: Another chance for Barcelona as Lewandowski’s cross drops kindly for Raphinha but the former Leeds United lashing wide.

34 Mins: Lewandowski’s snap shot is gathered by Onana at the second attempt, and the pair collide, with the Inter keeper needing treatment.

30 Mins: Superb break from Inter as Nicolo Barella bursts forward, and feeds in Denzel Dumfries, but his angled drive is blocked away Ter Stegen.

28 Mins: Quickfire chances at both ends as we head to the half hour mark – Mkhitaryan forces a smart reaction stop from Marc Ter Stegen – and Ousmane Dembele’s curling effort is tipped away by Onana.

23 Mins: First clash of the night between Lewandowski and Milan Skriniar and the referee needs to do some crowd control here as a pushing match kicks off.

17 Mins: INTER HIT BACK!!!

The visitors spring to life as Edin Dzeko cushions Hakan Calhanoglu’s superb free kick against the bar!!! SOOOOO CLOSE!!!

15 Mins: Elsewhere in Group C!!!!

Sadio Mane has put Bayern Munich 1-0 up at Viktoria Plzen….where three points will guarantee their last 16 spot!!

If Bayern win – and Barcelona lose at the Camp Nou – Xavi’s side will be eliminated from the Champions League group stages for the second season in a row.

12 Mins: BIG CHANCE FOR BARCA!!!

Robert Lewandowski beats his man to a corner but Henrikh Mkhitaryan gets back to clear off the line!!

Raphinha then looks to lead the Barca attack as his long range effort flies over Andre Onana’s crossbar.

10 Mins: Barcelona are beginning to nudge their way into the contest with successive corners cleared away by Inter after Martinez was flagged offside at the other end.

5 Mins: An even start in Catalonia, as Lautaro Martinez climbs highest from a corner, but his header is wide of the post.

KICK OFF: WE ARE OFF – BARCELONA VS INTER MILAN

30 Mins to KO: What the managers have said ahead of KO in Catalonia

Xavi – “This is a match based on the psychological aspects of football. We have 90 minutes to win the match but we need to have patience. They will defend deep, but if we attack better (than in Milan), we can win.

“We have to improve things. It depends on where the free spaces are. We have to dominate the space inside and offer [for the ball] more.”

Inzaghi – “We made the most of our opportunity in the last game, we know how important this on is, and we must give an extraordinary effort. We’re fighting to get through this group with all we’ve got.

“I maintain Inter deserve much of the credit for forcing Barcelona to play badly at the San Siro. Onana did not have many saves to make. Tonight will be different, the stadium is behind them and fired up, Italian sides have struggled at Camp Nou historically.”

60 Mins to KO: TEAM NEWS IS IN!!

The team news has dropped at the Camp Nou………..

Xavi freshens up his defence with Eric Garcia and Sergi Roberto coming in to replace Alex Balde and Jordi Alba and Ousmane Dembele in for Ferran Torres.

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Inter boss Simone Inzaghi makes three changes to the starting XI which won 2-1 away at Sassuolo in Serie A action at the weekend.

Stefan de Vrij and Milan Skriniar come into the defence, in place of Francesco Acerbi and Danilo D’Ambrosio, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan preferred to Kristjan Asllani in midfield.

1 Hr and 15 Mins to KO: What is the latest picture in Group C?

Barcelona’s 1-0 defeat at the San Siro in the reverse fixture last week puts Xavi’s hosts on the back foot ahead of this game.

Bayern Munich lead the way in Group C, with nine points from three games, and a win at Viktoria Plzen tonight, will put them into the last 16.

Inter are on six points, compared to Barcelona’s three, as it stands, but La Blaugrana have won all five of their Champions League home games against the Serie A giants.

Barcelona vs. Inter Milan lineups

Xavi is still without six first-team players ahead of this match with Jules Kounde unavailable but set to return before the end of October.

Eric Garcia and Sergi Roberto return to the starting XI in place of Jordi Alba and Alex Balde in defence.

Barcelona lineup (4-3-3): Ter Stegen (GK) — Alonso, Pique, Garcia, Roberto — Pedri, Busquets, Gavi — Dembele, Lewandowski, Raphinha

Barcelona subs (10): Pena (GK), Tenas (GK), Balde, Alba, Torres, Fati, de Jong, Casado, Kessie, Torre

Marcelo Brozovic and Alex Cordaz remain sidelined for Inter ahead of this game with Joaquin Correa ruled out until November.

Inter Milan lineup (3-5-2): Onana (GK) —Bastoni, de Vrij, Skriniar — Dimarco, Mkhitaryan, Barella, Calhanoglu, Dumfries — Martinez, Dzeko

Inter Milan subs (12): Handanovic (GK), Botis (GK) Darmian, Gagliardini, Gosens, Bellanova, Acerbi, Asllani, D’Ambrosio, Carboni, Stankovic Curatolo

Barcelona vs. Inter Milan score: Barca’s Champions League hopes hanging by thread thanks to Robert Lewandowski

The Catalan club suffered a massive blow to their UCL hopes, and their fate is no longer in their own hands

Barcelona’s Champions League hopes for the 2022-23 season hang by a thread. In what looked set to be a shocking turn of events, Xavi’s side were nearly eliminated from the group stage on Wednesday, blowing a lead at home to Inter Milan, only to rescue a late 3-3 draw to salvage a point and stay alive. While it is certainly better than a loss, the point does very little for the team’s hopes of advancing from the group stage, needing a minor miracle to get through to the knockout stage.

In this one, Barca nearly lost to Inter twice in a week’s span, going down 2-1 after goals from Nicolo Barella and Lautaro Martinez early in the second half after Ousmane Dembele opened the scoring. But it was Robert Lewandowski’s first goal just under 10 minutes from time that saw the teams draw level. Robin Gosens then fired Inter into the lead in the 89th minute before Lewandowski rescued a point in the 92nd minute with a fine-headed goal.

The result means Inter are in second with seven points, five behind leaders Bayern. Barca are in third with four points, needing to earn four more points than Inter the rest of the way to advance.

Craving even more coverage of the world’s game? Listen below and follow ¡Qué Golazo! A Daily CBS Soccer Podcast where we take you beyond the pitch and around the globe for commentary, previews, recaps and more.

Barcelona likely finished

If Barca and Inter finish level on points, Inter advance due to the head-to-head tiebreaker, thanks to having beaten and drawn Barca. If Inter Milan so much as draw Viktoria Plzen in Italy on Matchday 5, Barca will be forced to win out, including having to defeat Bayern Munich. The Italian side are expected to win that match with little trouble, and if they do Barcelona will be eliminated before they kick another ball in the Champions League.

To advance, Barcelona must earn four more points than Inter the rest of the way:

Barca win their last two games and Inter don’t win any of their last two

Barca win one and draw one and Inter lose both of their games

Here’s the Matchday 5 schedule:

Lautaro Martinez and Nicolo Barella punish Barca

Early in the second half, with a 1-0 lead, Barca kept their foot on the gas in an attempt to slam the door shut. Well, it cost them. Playing a bit too advanced and lacking awareness, Barella finished with a fine hit after a sleeping Gerard Pique let the ball go by him intentionally and inexcusably. Take a look:

That’s a great hit, but goodness me, Pique. He thought Marc-Andre ter Stegen was there to scoop it up, but Barella was attentive enough to make them pay.

Then just 13 minutes later, the Barcelona transfer target, Martinez, did this:

A quick one-two punch that turned this game on its head. Credit Barca for battling back, but this is where they lost pretty much all hopes of advancing.

Inter deserved it, but Barca didn’t help themselves

Barca finished the game with 25 shots compared to Inter’s 11, and they also had 62 percent possession. Time and time again they got the ball on the edge of the box but somehow three goals were not enough. We have to remember that this is a Barca team with so many injuries at center back, evident by having to play Pique. With their top three center backs all out injured in Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde and Andreas Chistensen, it really showed and ultimately made all the difference.

Robert Lewandowski heroics save Barcelona in draw with Inter Milan

Written by ABC AUDIO on October 13, 2022

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Robert Lewandowski heroics save Barcelona in draw with Inter Milan

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