🇮🇹 Cup pedigree and rock-solid defence: how Inter reached the UCL final | OneFootball

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Inter Milan is back in the Champions League final.

On Saturday (31), the Nerazzurri faced Paris Saint-Germain at the Allianz Arena in Munich, seeking the fourth European title in their history.

OneFootball recalls the main highlights of the Italians’ campaign up to the final.

Solid defense and cup-winning style

Inter’s journey began in the group stage, with the team showcasing a very solid defense.

They conceded just one goal in a campaign that ended with them in fourth place overall among the 36 teams.

This secured their spot and avoided the extra knockout round—a new format in this edition of the Champions League.

In the round of 16, Inter eliminated Feyenoord with a 2-0 win away and a 2-1 win at home.

In the quarterfinals, a clash of giants against Bayern Munich. In Germany, a 2-1 victory highlighted by Frattesi’s goal at the end of the match. In the return leg, a 2-2 draw.

In the semifinals, the two best matches of the competition so far against Barcelona.

In the first leg in Spain, a thrilling 3-3 draw in which Inter went up 2-0 on the scoreboard, but conceded the tie thanks to an incredible performance by Lamine Yamal.

In the return leg, San Siro was the Nerazzurri’s 12th man: the Italians went up 2-0, suffered a comeback, but managed to equalize in the last minute with Acerbi.

📸 Marco Luzzani - 2025 Getty Images

In extra time, Frattesi, once again, was decisive by scoring a goal.

And Sommer saved the home side with impressive saves.

The pillars of the Nerazzurri campaign

Inter was an extremely collective team, but some names stood out.

Yann Sommer was one of the great heroes of the campaign so far, with outstanding performances in the knockout stages, especially against Barcelona.

📸 Marco Luzzani - 2025 Getty Images

Defender Bastoni has been the pillar of the defensive system for years.

In midfield, Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Nicolò Barella dictate the team’s tempo with intensity—along with Frattesi coming on during matches and being decisive with goals against Bayern and Barcelona.

But individually, the great star is captain Lautaro Martínez—leading the attack alongside Thuram.The Argentine led the Nerazzurri to two Italian titles and the Champions League final in 2022, when they lost to Manchester City.

Now in Munich, there is a new opportunity and the chance to cement himself as one of the greatest names in the history of the Italian club.

📸 Marco Luzzani - 2025 Getty Images