Lamine works magic as Barça and Inter trade blows in first-leg thriller

Lamine Yamal had said that he left fear behind in the park in Mataró when he was little and there was certainly no sign of it on an astonishing night up on Montjuïc. Barcelona were a goal down inside the first minute of their first Champions League semi-final in seven years, reminded of the ghosts of their recent past and needing more goals than Inter had conceded in the entire league phase, then they found themselves trailing again on the hour, but the 17-year-old would not back down and nor would his teammates.

- Sid Lowe

Instead, there he was gesturing for this Olympic stadium to get on its feet and find its voice and producing a performance that meant they could hardly do anything else. One that suggested it is not that he might become the best player around, but that he already might be, the most outstanding of many outstanding men on a wild and wonderful occasion in which Barcelona twice came from behind to equalise, going from 2-0 to 2-2 and 3-2 to 3-3, but couldn't quite turn it around entirely.

Instead it finished 3-3, leaving Inter with a slight advantage and setting up what could be a sensational second leg. If it is half as good as this, it will be fun, that's for sure.

"We're not used to losing," Simone Inzaghi had said but it had become a bad habit at a very bad time. Three times they lost in seven days. Defeated by their rivals Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, they lost first place in the league at the hands of Bologna and Roma, Napoli taking advantage. One of the three trophies had gone and another was going, the dream of a treble evaporating. Inter were determined it wouldn't be the entire season that slipped away, and they could not have started better.