Champions League Semi Finals (Both Legs)

The following article contains details of the 2024-25 Champions League.

Champions League Semi Finals (First Leg)

 

Girona v Inter Milan

 

Oriol Romeu gained an early red card, putting Girona on the back foot in the first half. However, Inter Milan failed to capitalise on the player advantage, and Girona’s second half was almost dominating, using the influence of the home crowd. Girona worked through balls down the left wing, setting up the strikers with chances to score. However, shots were hardly on target, and Inter felt the pressure release with every breath on multiple occasions. The first leg ended in a draw, and with Inter the home side for the second leg, they still remain in the box seat to progress to the Final.

 

Real Madrid v Barcelona

Real brought Vini Jr back into the fold for the all-Spanish Semi Final, while Jules Koundé returned after his red card suspension. Kylian Mbappé scored first as Real looked the more dangerous. He defeated the offside trap and ran onto a through ball to set up a solid start. Real kept attacking, with Mbappé at the forefront, and Barcelona needed block after block to stop shots. Barcelona got back into the game in the second half, and after a half chance, Robert Lewandowski took on the defence and scored. Real threw everything in attack to take back the lead, only for Barcelona to hold the fort and take an advantage into the second leg.

 

 

Champions League Semi Finals (Second Leg)

 

Barcelona v Real Madrid

Real made one change for the second leg, but it was Dani Olmo who scored first, giving Barcelona the lead on the night and across the two legs. Real adjusted and defended better, though Barcelona looked like taking the road to Munich. The second half was a tight tussle, with neither defence giving a real chance. As the match wore on, Real wore down as Barcelona played keepings off. In the end, Olmo’s goal was the difference, sending Barcelona to the Final.

 

Their opponents became Inter Milan, as Marcus Thuram scored early with his eighteenth goal of the campaign. Lautaro Martínez then doubled the lead with his right foot, but then Girona’s Victor Tsygankov brought Girona back into the match just before the break, hitting the inside of the post and in. Girona never gave up as both sides had shots, and Arnaut Danjuma’s wayward shot rebounded off the knee of Francesco Acerbi buy mistake and in the goal, levelling the match again. Both sides had chances to win the match, only to miss the mark. Mehdi Taremi thought he had given Inter the lead in extra time, only to be deemed offside. Instead, Taremi set up Thuram and he made no mistake. Thuram nearly scored at the end but it mattered not as Inter finished the winners on a tough night.