Barcelona fight back to stave off UCL elimination in 6-goal thriller vs. Inter
Barcelona are alive and kicking in the Champions League.
Robert Lewandowski’s vital brace in the final 10 minutes of play Wednesday at Camp Nou kept Barcelona from being eliminated in the group stage of Europe’s top competition for a second season running, rounding off a breathless 3-3 draw with Inter Milan that temporarily denied the Nerazzurri a place in the knockout round.
Inter substitute Kristjan Asllani spoiled a golden opportunity to give his team the lead for good in the 98th minute when he decided to shoot straight at goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen rather than square the ball to his wide-open teammate.
Barcelona stared elimination in the face after falling behind 2-1 and 3-2 in the second half. Lewandowski made it 2-2 in the 82nd minute and canceled out Robin Gosens’ go-ahead goal in the 89th with a powerful header in the second minute of stoppage time.
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ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI AGAIN. BARCELONA ARE STILL IN THIS ? pic.twitter.com/e3lSiIiUFC
— CBS Sports Golazo ?? (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 12, 2022
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Just seconds after Robin Gosins might have scored the winner Inter, Robert Lewandowski scores a last minute equalizer to maintain Barcelona’s #UCL chances alive! ? pic.twitter.com/7VDeKL8YdK
— DAZN Canada (@DAZN_CA) October 12, 2022
Things were much more straightforward in Plzen, where Bayern Munich ran away 4-2 winners over the Czech side to maintain their perfect record in Group C and book a place in the knockout round.
Given Bayern’s record 32-match unbeaten run in the Champions League group stage and Plzen’s obvious inferiority, Barcelona and Inter were always likely to fight for second in Group C. That battle will now go down to the wire. With a three-point lead over Barcelona and the head-to-head record in their favor, Inter control their own destiny: They can clinch a berth in the round of 16 if they beat already eliminated Plzen at home on Oct. 26. Barcelona need Inter to drop points in that game and a win over Bayern on the same day to enter the final matchday with a chance of progressing.
Group C standings
| W-D-L | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayern | 4-0-0 | 11 | 12 |
| Inter | 2-1-1 | 1 | 7 |
| Barcelona | 1-1-2 | 1 | 4 |
| Plzen | 0-0-4 | -13 | 0 |
After taking the lead in the 40th minute through Ousmane Dembele, the Blaugrana and the 92,000 fans in attendance watched in horror as two of their most accomplished players committed uncharacteristic errors. Gerard Pique, starting in place of the injured Andreas Christensen, failed to detect Nicolo Barella in the area in the 50th minute, signaling to his teammates that the play was safe just as the Inter midfielder darted into scoring position. Sergio Busquets then conceded possession, and Lautaro Martinez made it 2-1 from the ensuing counterattack.
One of the most dramatic finishes in recent Champions League history soon followed.
