After a disappointing showing in Milan last week, the objective for Barca was clear.
Win and leave no doubts about the result. Because if they somehow failed to win, their Champions League aspirations would come to a screeching halt.
The Camp Nou was buzzing for this important match. So let’s see how Barca started out and if they came out with the result they needed.
First half
The first half went mostly like Barca’s previous first half against Milan last week.
Barca controlled most of the possession and only had to worry about Inter’s counter attack. The only difference though, was Barca’s aggressiveness going forward.
Last week, Barca were a bit more cautious when they were attacking. There wasn’t a lot of movement and creativity around Inter’s penalty area and the end product was lacking impact.
In the return fixture though, things were much different.
Barca were intent on crossing, hoping for headers and loose rebounds to clean up. They ran into a few in the first half, with Robert Lewandowski blasting a header for a potential goal in the 9th minute. His header was cleared off the line, but it was an example of Barca’s mentality going forward.
The action continued to pile up after. Raphinha was at the forefront of many of the remaining chances. As his active play put him in the middle of the heavy business in the attack.
Including the opening goal of the match. When his relentless pursuit of the ball led to an important goal for Barca.
Dembele opens the scoring
After Raphinha recovered the ball in the corner, he lifted a low pass to a streaking Sergi Roberto. Roberto then took a few steps, before squaring the ball for anyone who would dare to take a shot.
Ousmane Dembele was the lucky man, as he fired home a shot to give Barca a 1-0 lead.
The Camp Nou erupted. And for good reason too, as Barca had been piling on the pressure up until Dembele’s goal. It was a deserved tally and one Barca were desperately looking for to start off the match.
Dembeleeeeee!!
Barcelona top off a dominant first-half performance with a much needed goal to put themselves 1-0 up against Inter… 💫#UCL pic.twitter.com/RDFwYRlqDW
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 12, 2022
After Dembele’s goal, there wasn’t much action after. Barca had their goal and were content with carrying it and their slim lead into halftime.
And that they did.
Barca had the lead, but they needed to make changes and stay very alert in the second half. If they didn’t, they’d be punished severely for it.
Unfortunately for Barca, as we saw in the second half, they didn’t stay alert.
As a mental gaffe from one of the club’s most experienced senior players, began a snowball of goals for Inter in the second frame.
Second Half
The second half was a disaster for Barca.
Not only did they completely falter at an important time. But their mistakes were as plain as day. Starting in the 50 minute, when Gerard Pique committed an egregious error that led to Inter’s first goal.
Inter draws level
It was Nicolo Barella that gave Inter their first goal of the match.
However, Barella’s goal shouldn’t have been a thing. Simply because Pique committed one of the worst possibly timed mistakes you’ll ever see.
— Barça Buzz (@Barca_Buzz) October 12, 2022
The only explanation for this mistake, is that Pique thought Barella was offsides when he made his run. But Pique didn’t locate Barella before his run, so his assumption was irresponsible if nothing else.
Regardless, the mistake gave Inter their first goal. And if the result stood, Barca would be in deep troubles pertaining to their knockout stage hopes.
To fight this off, Barca needed to put their head down and find another goal. No defense lapses and pure attacking football would give them the chance to do that.
But as we all know now, that didn’t occur. As it was another Inter goal that ruined the party.
Lautaro makes it 2-1
It was Lautaro who gave Inter the lead. As a defensive miscue from Eric Garcia gave Martinez a clear opportunity at goal.
Inter have completely turned the tables around!!
Martínez sinks spirits in Barcelona as the Catalans could face another #UCL group stage exit… 😬 pic.twitter.com/URFaNogqJ3
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 12, 2022
At this point, things looked really bleak for Barca.
They need two more goals to win and based on the way they were playing, those goals weren’t coming anytime soon.
Luckily, their goal poaching superstar striker arrived to save the day. And potentially Barca’s Champions League hopes.
Lewandowski draws it level again
Lewandowski was awoken from his slumber when Barca needed him most.
He gave Barca’s a leveling goal in the latter stages of the match. And kept Barca’s ship from completely sinking into the cold, European waters.
There was only one man for the job!! 🤩
Lewandowski levels the scoring with less than 10 minutes on the clock to give Barcelona hope… 🙏#UCL pic.twitter.com/Ce0dT2jqBM
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 12, 2022
Barca had some hope again. All they needed to do was get another goal and avoid an embarrassing defensive lapse to give Inter another goal.
Asking the injured backline to do that seemed monstrous. But it was necessary in order for Barca to stop tripping over their own mistakes.
However, as we unfortunately saw, Barca wasn’t able to keep Inter off the score sheet again. As Inter grabbed their third and final goal of the match.
Gosens puts Inter up 3-2
Robin Gosens found a way to give Inter a 3-2 lead. And temporarily end Barca’s knockout stage hopes in the process.
What. A. Rollercoaster.
Gosens puts Inter 3-2 up in the lead as all hope in Barcelona looks to be lost with minutes left on the clock…#UCL pic.twitter.com/OVqVbD5w1R
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 12, 2022
The up and down match wasn’t one we expected. But we were receiving it and Barca was turning into a victim of it.
This time, things truly looked dead. Barca needed to pull another rabbit out of their hat. Or things would turn catastrophic for the Catalan giants.
Fortunately though, Barca got one last shot at hope, as Lewandowski came to the rescue once again.
Lewandowski gives Barca one last gasp at hope
Lewandowski scored another goal in stoppage time to give Barca some more hope.
There was only four minutes and some change left, but the Camp Nou has been a witness to many magical nights. So the hope was still there, even as the circumstances seemed against Barca at that moment.
However, Barca couldn’t manage any more luck. As they drew against Inter and put their Champions League knockout hopes on ice.
Final word
This match was a disaster for Barca. Not only did they completely collapse in the second half, but they’ve all but killed their knockout stage hopes in the process.
As things stand, Barca’s Champions League knockout hopes are almost dead.
They need to win their last two matches against Bayern and Victoria Plzen, as well as some dropped points by Inter over their last two matches in order to qualify for the knockout stage.
That seems rather impossible, since Plzen is by far and away the worst club in the group. But as they say, you have to keep hope, as it could give you some unexpected rewards in the end.
Barca’s next match
Barca’s next match is this Sunday against Real Madrid, in El Clasico.
See you all then!
I’ve been a big time Barca fan since I was 14 years old. I love the club, the history, and the tradition that the club has built over its prestigious history. Forca Barca!
Discover more from Barça Buzz
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
