Inter Milan Star Recalls Dramatic Penalty In Champions League Triumph Vs Barcelona: ‘San Siro Has Never Been That Silent’ | OneFootball

Hakan Calhanoglu says that “the San Siro has never been as silent” as when he took a key penalty for Inter Milan against Barcelona.

The 31-year-old spoke in a video on Inter’s official YouTube channel. He recalled the dramatic 4-3 Champions League semifinal second leg victory.

Inter Milan will face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final next weekend.

The Nerazzurri are in that final because of a dramatic win over Barcelona in the semifinals.

Having drawn 3-3 with the Blaugranas in the first leg, it was hard to imagine that the second leg would be even more dramatic.

But that proved to be the case. It went all the way to extra time, with a Francesco Acerbi equalizer in stoppage time giving Inter the hope they needed.

Hakan Calhanoglu: “San Siro Never Been As Silent” As Dramatic Penalty In Inter 4-3 Barcelona

MILAN, ITALY – OCTOBER 01: Hakan Calhanoglu of FC Internazionale celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between FC Internazionale Milano and FK Crvena Zvezda at Stadio San Siro on October 01, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Inter Milan had taken the lead in the first half through captain Lautaro Martinez.

Then, Martinez won a penalty right at the end of the second half.

There was never any doubt as to who would step up and take the spot kick. Hakan Calhanoglu is Inter’s clear first-choice penalty-taker.

The former AC Milan midfielder recalled the moment he was standing on the spot to take it.

“It was the first time I’d ever heard San Siro that silent,” he said.

Calhanoglu called it “a silence that was full of tensjon.”

“The fans were holding their breath. I felt it.”

“Szczesny is a great goalkeeper,” Calhanoglu said of Barcelona’s keeper in the tie. “It’s not easy to go up against him from the penaltuy spot.”

“If I had missed, the match would have changed,” the Turkish international noted.

“But I stayed focused. I picked a corner, and I kicked it the way I always do.”

“And once I scored it, I felt amazing,” said Calhanoglu.

Meanwhile, Calhanoglu called Acerbi’s second half stoppage time equalizer “a really special moment.”

“When the ball went in, I felt that something had changed,” he added. “It was a sign that we could really do it.”