Barcelona 3-3 Inter Milan: The Main Talking Points As Xavi’s Champions League Dreams Are Hanging By A Thread

In a showdown between two European icons on Wednesday night, Barcelona and Inter Milan played out a Champions League thriller as they eventually had to settle for a 3-3 draw.

While the former Spanish champions might have snatched a last-gasp equalizer as Robert Lewandowski bagged another brace at the Nou Camp, Xavi’s side now find their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.

Although Barca might have entered the interval with a 1-0 lead following Ousmane Dembele’s opener, the second-half quickly descended into chaos as both sides created a string of golden chances.

However, while Inter might have been seconds away from booking their knockout stage ticket after second-half goals from Lautaro Martinez, Nicolo Barella and Robin Gosens, the Nerazzurri still find themselves firmly sat in pole position.

With it now looking like Barcelona are needing a minor miracle if they’re to find a route out of Group C, we have taken a look at the main talking points following Wednesday’s thriller in Catalonia.

Another Champions League nightmare for Barca

While Barcelona might have opened their Champions League adventure with a routine 5-1 romp at home against Viktoria Plzen on September 7th, Xavi’s side find themselves in the midst of another European nightmare.

With Bayern Munich already confirming their knockout stage ticket after a 4-2 victory away at Pizen on Wednesday night, Xavi’s side now face a huge uphill struggle if they’re to avoid another public Champions League collapse.

While the Spanish heavyweights might have continued to impress while on domestic duties since opening the 2022/23 campaign, Barca have really struggled to find any kind of form on the European stage.

Suffering a controversial 1-0 loss away at the San Siro last week, Xavi’s side knew that they faced a must-win showdown in Catalonia.

However, shockingly crashing out of the group stages last season and dropping down to the Europa League, Xavi’s side appear to be set with another embarrassing demotion this month.

With teams on the same points split by their head-to-head record, Barca need what appears to be a minor miracle.

A bitter-sweet night for Inter

Hanging onto that controversial 1-0 win at the San Siro last week, Inter Milan made the trip to Catalonia on Wednesday night knowing that another eye-catching victory would be enough to clinch their knockout stage ticket.

However, while the Nerazzurri might have been within seconds of completing their Group C romp and picking up another famous win in Spain, Simone Inzaghi was clearly left frustrated by his side’s last gasp collapse on foreign soil.

Although the former Serie A champions might still find themselves firmly sat on pole position to follow Bayern Munich out of Group C, the one-time Lazio boss has been calling in his squad to find some recent stability.

With fans around Milan already making it clear that Inzaghi’s side must recapture their domestic crown this season, a depleted Inter side have largely failed to find top gear with much fluidity since opening the 2022/23 campaign.

Nevertheless, despite mustering just a pair of wins from their previous six appearances on the road, Wednesday’s guests will simply be looking to finish off their qualifying job when they host Plzen on October 26th.

Barca need more than Lewandowski

While Barcelona might have gained a sting of plaudits from across Spain this season for their rugged defensive displays on La Liga duties, Xavi’s side have rather drastically failed to drag that form into their Champions League campaign.

Failing to muster a single clean sheet from any of their four Group C appearances this year, there is no doubt that Barca have been almost exclusively reliant on their new attacking talisman to spearhead their downbeat European adventure.

Bagging another Champions League brace on Wednesday night and keeping Xavi’s razor-thin qualifying ambitions alive with a stunning last-gasp equaliser here, fans around the Nou Camp know that their side can not just be hoping for the ex-Bayern striker to single-handedly lead their charge.

In fact, with Lewandowski racking up five Group C strikes this year, the Polish record-breaker has recorded 62.5% of Barcelona’s European strikes from their opening four contests.

Although the 34-year-old marksman might have only continued on his remarkable free-scoring run since arriving in Catalonia from the German champions this summer, he alone can’t cover for Barca’s glaring defensive issues on the European stage.

Match Report:

Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Roberto, Garcia, Pique, Alonso, Gavi, Busquets, Pedri, Dembele, Lewandowki, Raphinha

Subs: Kessie, De Jong, Balde, Torres, Fati

Inter Milan: Onana, Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni, Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco, Martinez, Dzeko

Subs: Acerbi, Asllani, Gosens, Darmian, Bellanova

Goals: Barcelona: Dembele (40’), Lewandowski (82’, 90+2’) – Inter Milan: Barella (50’), Martinez (63’), Gosens (89’)

Yellow Cards: Barcelona: Dembele, Roberto – Inter Milan: Martinez, De Vrij, Mkhitaryan

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Szymon Marciniak