Inter dragged themselves to the final, and PSG cruised to it. Here's how it all happened.

The Angel Of Milan

Typically, when I start writing one of these columns, I think of something interesting that stood out to me tactically. Some brilliant use of a player or a system that we were not expecting, to achieve the desired result.

This game was not about that at all. At all.

Don't get me wrong, there were tactical matchups aplenty. Thuram's hold-up play to help Inter progress the ball by playing long balls over the Barca press, for example. Or, and I found this so interesting, the fact that Inter eventually stopped trying to play balls in behind the Barca high line, instead they tried to play to someone standing in front of the high line, typically Thuram. Thuram would then knock the ball back to someone in midfield who would immediately play it out wide to someone, typically to Dumfries, who could then run at Barca and cross the ball into the box while Barca's defenders were running back, reducing the risk of offsides.

So much to think about tactically.

And yet, you and I know that this game was not about tactics in the slightest. It was about sheer will. Sheer bloody will. Who wanted it more? Gerard Martin had been horrible throughout the tie, and suddenly he found the right crosses to provide two assists. Eric Garcia is not even a good backup centerback, which is his primary position, much less a good fullback, but he suddenly arrived in the box at the right time to score a rocket of a goal.

Francisco Acerbi is 37 years old, probably shouldn't be able to play 90 minutes of football at this age and this level, let alone in the semifinal of the most elite competition in the world. He is as Italian as Italian centerbacks come, primarily focused on the defensive side of the game. He isn't as gifted on the ball as his defensive partner Bastoni, whose passing and carrying have been tools of evading opposition pressure for Inter. Acerbi simply does not operate in or close to the opposition's box. And to top it all off, he has never scored a European goal in his career.

And yet, in the 93rd minute, when his team needed a saviour badly, the angel of Milan rose and somehow found a beautiful finish to level the tie on the night and drag the game into extra time. I've seen many strange scenes in my time watching this sport; few of them have left me as speechless as that goal did.

It's nothing less than Inter and Simone Inzaghi deserve for building such a high-quality team out of players many would consider below par individually in their respective positions.

Forza Inter!

Allez Allez Allez PSG

Arsene Wenger summed up the second leg of this tie quite nicely when he said that PSG were never in danger.

To be sure, the first 15 minutes or so some some serious Arsenal pressure, and they could have had a goal or two in that period. But that's the thing, isn't it? When you're playing a team without a striker, and without much by way of lethal box presence, at the elite level of the competition, it's not hard to imagine that they'll find scoring difficult.

Just look at the xG numbers from both legs of the tie.

The xG Philosophy

@xGPhilosophy

On aggregate:

Arsenal (5.11) 1-3 (3.08) PSG

12.3K

8:59 PM • May 7, 2025

PSG scored 3 goals from 3.08 xG. Efficient, ruthless, lethal.

Arsenal, on the other hand, managed just 1 goal from 5.11 xG. To say it was underwhelming would be to massively understate how disappointing that performance was. And yet it is no surprise, this has been the story of Arsenal's season: they create lots of chances but lack the finishing edge necessary to translate those chances into goals.

As for PSG, what more can be said? It looked like they'd drawn the toughest tie after Arsenal's dismantling of Real Madrid in the last phase. But they managed the tie superbly, almost without breaking a sweat. They went to the Emirates and played a very controlled game, sneaking away with a 1-0 lead.

And then at the Parc de Princes, when the pressure was on and Arsenal threw the kitchen sink at them, they dug in and defended. I've always wondered if this team had the defensive mettle to survive in the Champions League, and they proved that they have it in abundance. Joao Neves in particular was outstanding the whole tie, every other PSG tackle, interception or duel involved him.

And then, when Arsenal were vulnerable, they capitalised, as killers do. This is the highlight of Luis Enrique's work post-Mbappe. This is a team now, not a collection of players feeding a talented individual.

Allez Allez Allez PSG!