According to “Varzesh3,” on Tuesday night, we witnessed an exciting and dramatic clash between Barcelona and Inter Milan at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. The match ended with Simone Inzaghi’s Inter winning 4-3 in a thrilling encounter, securing their place in the final against Luis Enrique’s team at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

The most interesting moment of the Champions League semi-final second leg between Inter and Barcelona was Inter’s third goal, scored in the dying minutes of the match, leveling the score at 3-3 and sending the game into extra time.

The key tactical change was Inter’s left-back Francesco Acerbi moving into the attack. After Barcelona took a 3-2 lead through Raphinha, Inzaghi instructed the tall defender to push forward. This move paid off when Acerbi scored with his weaker right foot following a cross from Dutch wing-back Denzel Dumfries.

This article analyzes Inter’s third goal against Barcelona.

When Inter conceded the third goal, they had only registered two shots in the second half. Inzaghi’s decision to push Acerbi forward changed the game’s dynamics.

After Barcelona’s third goal, their 17-year-old star Lamine Yamal had a chance to make it 4-2 but hit the post. Inter regained possession and quickly transitioned from defense to attack, focusing on long balls into Barcelona’s defensive third.

In the final moments, Dumfries delivered a low cross to Acerbi, who scored the equalizer with his weaker foot, sending the game into extra time.

This tactic of using long balls and pushing defenders forward in the dying minutes was popularized by Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, using Jaap Stam as an auxiliary striker. It has since been adopted by many coaches worldwide.

Similarly, during José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti’s tenures at Real Madrid, Sergio Ramos often pushed forward in critical moments, with Toni Kroos or Luka Modrić dropping deeper to recycle possession.

In Iran, Amir Ghalenoei famously used this strategy with Hanif Omranzadeh at Esteghlal and later with Khaled Shafiei at Sepahan, deploying tall defenders as makeshift strikers in crucial moments.

In the 2023 AFC Asian Cup semi-final against Japan, Ghalenoei used this tactic with Hossein Kanaanizadegan, whose aerial presence led to a penalty converted by Alireza Jahanbakhsh, securing Iran’s victory.