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Inter oust Barca to reach Champions League final

29 April 2010 04:15 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Inter Milan survived an early sending-off and a Barcelona onslaught to reach the final of Europe’s Champions League, where they will meet Bayern Munich, APA reports quoting CNN.
The Italian champions were reduced to 10 men when Thiago Motta was dismissed after 28 minutes, but defended resolutely and clung on for a 1-0 defeat in the Nou Camp which gave them a 3-2 victory on aggregate.
Defending champions Barca dominated possession throughout the match but did not break through until the 84th minute when Gerard Pique’s goal gave them a lifeline.
But Inter, who have not won Europe’s premier club competition since 1965, held on to set up a meeting with German side Bayern at Real Madrid’s Bernabeu stadium on May 22.
The victory was a personal triumph for Inter coach Jose Mourinho, who once worked as a translator at Barca and taunted the Spanish side in the build-up to the game over their "obsession" with winning the Champions League at the home of their arch-rivals.
Mourinho greeted the final whistle by sprinting across the pitch with one arm raised. He shrugged off an attempt by Barca keeper Victor Valdes to restrain him and celebrated in front of the Inter fans.
Mourinho made a late change to his line-up shortly before kick-off with defender Christian Chivu replacing injured striker Goran Pandev.
Barca were on the attack from the start but did not create a clear opening until midway through the half, when Dani Alves crossed for Pedro, whose low shot fizzed narrowly wide.
Five minutes later, Inter were reduced to 10 men when Motta was shown a red card for pushing his hand into Sergio Busquets’s face.
Barca went close again when Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar pulled off a spectacular one-handed diving save to keep out a curling shot from Lionel Messi.
The second half began with Barca camped in the Inter half and the Italians getting all 10 players behind the ball.
Roared on by their 91,000 crowd, Barca were almost permanently in possession of the ball but did not create a clear opportunity until the 82nd minute when Messi lifted a cross into the path of Bojan Krkic, who glanced his header wide from just six yards.
Two minutes later, Xavi slipped a pass through to center-half Pique, who - pushed up front as an emergency striker - turned and slotted the ball home.
Barca pressed hard for the second goal that would have won them the game and thought they had it in stoppage-time when Bojan slammed into the net, but the effort was ruled out for a handball by Yaya Toure earlier in the move.
That proved to be the last chance of the game as Inter were left to celebrate their first appearance in the European Cup final since 1972.
"We defended very well with 10 men for so long," Inter midfielder Wesley Sneijder told ITV television. "We fought for every meter and we gave everything. We made it and we will go to Madrid."
Meanwhile, Bayern will appeal against a three-match ban imposed on Franck Ribery, which rules him out of the final.
The French winger was shown a red card in the first leg of the semifinal victory over Lyon and was suspended for the second leg on Tuesday.