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Inter Milan are set to host Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal at San Siro on May 5. The first leg ended in an intense 3-3 draw last week.
Marcus Thuram opened the scoring for Inter Milan in the very first minute of the first leg clash from an assist by Denzel Dumfries.
Dumfries then went on to score the second goal for the visitors after being set up by Francesco Acerbi in the 21st minute. Lamine Yamal netted the first goal for Barcelona in the 24th minute.
Ferran Torres found the equalizer for Barca from an assist by Raphinha in the 38th minute. Dumfries struck again, scoring a brace for Inter Milan header from an assist by Hakan Çalhanoglu in the 63rd minute.
Barcelona's third goal of the match came with Raphinha's strike that first hit the crossbar, and then the opposition goalkeeper Yann Sommer's head, finally finding the back of the net in the 65th minute.
While the match was deemed to be one of the most competitive ones this season by many, Yamal's performance earned much praise, with comparisons being drawn with the legends of the game.
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Now, ahead of the Champions League semifinal, Inter Milan head coach Simone Inzaghi seemed to have regarded Yamal as the prominent threat to his squad.
What did Simone Inzaghi say about Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal?
While addressing the press ahead of the crucial clash at San Siro, Inzaghi expressed confidence in his squad's chances against Barcelona to reach the Champions League final. However, the Italian manager also claimed (comments via ESPN) that they need to 'pay attention' to 'quick thinker' Yamal while heaping praise on the La Masia graduate.
"We need to keep him away from the ball, but it's impossible. Whether that is a double marking job or one player following him closely, we will try to always pay attention to him. He's such a great talent at 17 years old," he said.
"Seeing him live, he's so dangerous. Everyone gives him the ball. What impressed me was his speed of thought, he's such a quick thinker. Even before receiving the ball, he always knows what move to make," concluded Inzaghi.
During his 90 minutes in the first leg, Yamal was involved in two key passes and had two shots on target. He hit the woodwork twice while winning 15 (8) ground duels.
It remains to be seen if Inter Milan are able to stop Yamal and Barcelona and book their spot in the Champions League final after 18 years.
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