As Inter Milan and Barcelona prepare to meet tonight in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals once again, memories of their iconic 2010 clash come flooding back. Fifteen years on from José Mourinho’s masterclass at the Camp Nou, we remember one of the most unforgettable nights in modern football history.
May 2010. A deafening Camp Nou. Nearly 100,000 voices urging Barcelona on in pursuit of another Champions League final. But when the final whistle blew on a tense, suffocating semi-final second leg, it was Inter Milan, and José Mourinho, who stood tall. Not as victors on the night, but as conquerors of the tie. Barcelona 1, Inter 0. On aggregate: Inter 3, Barcelona 2.
It remains one of the most iconic, mythologised matches in modern football – a night when tactics, resilience, and sheer belief overcame beauty and possession. A match Inter still refer to as la sconfitta più bella – the most beautiful defeat.
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The Context: Guardiola’s Barcelona vs Mourinho’s Inter
Barcelona were football’s gold standard. Champions of Europe in 2009, treble winners under Pep Guardiola, and boasting Lionel Messi at the peak of his early powers. They played with control, with poise, and with purpose. Their semi-final opponents? A rugged, tactically disciplined Inter side led by José Mourinho – pragmatic, confrontational, and hungry for something historic.
The first leg at San Siro had shocked the football world. Barça led early through Pedro, but were overwhelmed by Inter’s intensity and incisiveness. Goals from Wesley Sneijder, Maicon, and Diego Milito gave Inter a stunning 3-1 advantage. Mourinho had promised chaos. He delivered.
But in Catalonia, few believed the tie was truly over.
The Match: Motta’s Red, Piqué’s Goal, and a Masterclass in Survival
Within 28 minutes of the second leg, Inter were down to ten men. Thiago Motta, wrongly sent off after a theatrical fall from Sergio Busquets, left Mourinho’s side with over an hour to defend a two-goal cushion. Against a side that thrived on space and control, it seemed impossible.
But Inter didn’t buckle. They dropped deep, defended with a five-man backline, and absorbed wave after wave of Barcelona possession. Samuel and Lucio were heroic. Julio César saved brilliantly from Messi. Eto’o, more forward than full-back, chased tirelessly. The entire team ran. Suffered. Believed.
When Gerard Piqué finally broke through in the 84th minute – weaving past defenders and slotting home – the stadium erupted. Suddenly, Barcelona needed just one more. They thought they’d found it in stoppage time, as Bojan smashed home from close range. But the flag was up. Relief, euphoria, disbelief all washed over Inter at once.
They had done it.
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Mourinho’s Charge and the Legacy
At the final whistle, Mourinho sprinted onto the Camp Nou pitch. Hand raised, defiant, emotional. Victor Valdés tried to stop him. He couldn’t. It was a moment of pure Mourinho theatre – and pure Mourinho triumph.
Inter had endured the storm. Down a man. Away from home. Against one of the greatest sides ever assembled. They didn’t just survive; they wrote history. That night, they weren’t just defending a lead – they were building a legend.
Weeks later, they would lift the Champions League trophy in Madrid, completing a historic treble. But for many Nerazzurri fans, nothing will ever top the battle in Barcelona. Because in football, sometimes the most beautiful victories are forged in defeat.
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