In the deafening noise at the Nou camp made by Barca’s 98000 loyal fans in the final 10 minutes, Jose Mourinho Conquered his super rivals 3-2 on aggregate despite a 1-0 semi final second-leg defeat.
It’s a game of intelligent defending and sheer determination and Mourinho’s counterattatcking tactics proved decisive and practical again. In spite of the controversial dismissal of Thiago Motta in the first half and Gerard Pique’s late goal for Barca at the 84th minute, Inter successfully protected their 3-1 lead from the first leg, and survived after 20 shots from their cornered rival. Not surprisingly, Barca completely dominated the opening stages and reached 80% of the possession early on, while Inter seemed comfortable and well prepared for that. The game was quite cagey before Thiago Motta was sent off for a hand-off on Sergio Busquets. It made Inter’s situation even harder and they beagn to play a more defensive game. Barca were camped in Inter’s area for the remainder of the first half, but nothing changed on the scoreboard. In the second half, offside trap played by Inter were effective and Guardiola’s side had little to do except for hopeful crosses to Ibrahimovic, who couldn’t been seen many times tonight before was substituted at 64 minutes. Barca’s fans sensed victory when Pique scored a goal after collecting Xavi’s pass, though it might have been an offside. The Catalans almost made it when Bojan broke free in the Inter box and lashed into the roof of the net in injury time, but the referee had given a handball against Yaya Toure in the build-up long before. When the final whistle blowed, for the first time in 38 years Jose Mourinho-inspired Inter Milan have reached the final of the European cup.
"It's been 38 years since Inter played in the final," said Mourinho. "This is not a team of young players who can wait 15 years to make the final - they will not have another 10 opportunities to play in one." By Jose Mourinho
