Internazionale 4-3 Barcelona: In a dramatic finish to a memorable semi-final, Davide Frattesi and Francesco Acerbi struck decisive blows in the closing moments.

After the drama of last week, it seemed almost unfathomable that the second leg of Internazionale’s UEFA Champions League semi-final tie against Barcelona could deliver yet again.

But deliver it did, and to say it was an understatement would be an injustice after a match that somehow usurped events in Catalonia six days earlier, when the two teams played out a topsy-turvy 3-3 draw.

The dangling carrot was an inviting one: a place in the final of a competition in which both sides have previously excelled. A decade has elapsed since Barcelona last lifted the famous trophy, beating Juventus 3-1 in 2015, whereas Inter were Italy’s most recent continental kings, way back in 2010.

And so the two sides came together again, face-to-face in pouring rain and under the watchful eye of the iconic San Siro stadium, and once more put on a show.

As they had in the reverse fixture, I Nerazzurri raced into the lead, going 1-0 up when Lautaro Martinez – their top scorer in the history of the competition – converted from Denzel Dumfries’ slid pass. That was the Argentine’s 22nd goal of the campaign and his 21st for the club in Europe’s premier competition.

By half-time, the hosts had doubled their advantage, this time from the penalty spot after VAR intervened to award a foul on Martinez by Pau Cubarsi. Hakan Calhanoglu was on spot-kick duty, and he duly sent former Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny the wrong way, tucking the ball into the bottom corner.

Given the emphatic nature of their first-half display, it seemed unlikely Inter would let lightning strike twice and allow their visitors back into the game. But, football is football, and Barcelona had other ideas.

Lamine Yamal, as he so often does, came to the fore, but it was an unlikely source who halved the deficit. Ex-Manchester City defender Eric Garcia, playing due to an injury crisis in the full-back positions, was the man who got it, deliciously sending a first-time volley past Yann Sommer and into the far top corner.

Six minutes later, the tie was all square again, 5-5 on aggregate, 2-2 on the night, thanks to Dani Olmo’s headed effort. Inter were crumbling. The San Siro was trembling.

Things nearly went from bad to worse when a foul on Yamal was awarded as a penalty, only for VAR to judge the initial contact to come outside the box. Barcelona did not have to wait long though, with Raphinha converting a rebound after Sommer had saved his initial effort.

The visitors had just three minutes to hold on. For the first time in the tie, they had their noses in front. A place at the Allianz Arena in Munich was within touching distance. They could have seen the game out, too, but instead, persisted in launching attack after attack, with Yamal even hitting the post.

What next, then? Step forward 37-year-old Inter defender Francesco Acerbi, whose legs must have resembled jelly after 93 minutes of play. Thrown up front in the dying moments, he scored his first ever Champions League goal when meeting Dumfries’ right wing cross and beautifully finding the top corner from close range.

Amazingly, that made him the second-oldest goalscorer in a knockout Champions League tie, behind only Ryan Giggs. His celebrations were wild, wheeling away with shirt swinging above his head. Barcelona, though, were seething, feeling there was a foul by Dumfries in the build-up.

It added further fuel to the fire of a feisty game. Tensions had already boiled over when the penalty in favour of Martinez was awarded earlier on. Seven players were booked across the course of the night, alongside multiple members of the two coaching teams.

The strike also secured extra time, much to the delight of the millions of fans watching around the world. Surely nobody was disappointed at the prospect of watching another half an hour. This was now the time for heroes; who could stand up and send their team into a Champions League final?

The answer was Davide Frattesi, an Italy international who helped Inter do the domestic double last season. A 79th-minute substitute for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the 25-year-old delivered one of the finest moments of his career by deliciously guiding a curled effort into the far corner from inside the area.

Cue pandemonium inside the stadium, from players and fans alike. From there, Inter defended their lead more effectively than Barcelona had, holding off anything that was thrown at them.

The scenes at full-time were joyous. Nobody wanted to leave. Supporters bounced in the stands, players danced on the pitch. They have now booked their place in Munich, two years on from losing 1-0 in the final against Manchester City.

This time, either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain await. And if that game is even half as good as this one, we are in for another classic.