Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said his players deserve respect in Europe once again, despite the painful Champions League semi-final defeat to Inter Milan.
The return match at the San Siro was an encounter full of emotions, where Barcelona came back from a 2-0 deficit to go up 3-2, and 6-5 on aggregate, already in stoppage time.
However, a goal by Francesco Acerbi in the 93rd minute forced extra time, where Davide Frattesi scored to give Inter the victory with an aggregate score of 7-6, securing their place in the final against Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal.
I believe the team, the players, deserve respect in Europe.
Hansi Flick
Flick stated that the team’s goal is to win titles and that next season they will seek to compete again in the Champions League.
It has been ten years since Barcelona reached the Champions League final, winning their fifth title in 2015 against Juventus.
In recent seasons, they suffered defeats against Roma and Liverpool, and even played in the Europa League on two occasions.
This season’s performance in the semi-finals demonstrated that they can compete with the best clubs in Europe, but they will need to improve defensively after conceding seven goals in the two matches against Inter.
Flick acknowledged that the team can improve defensively, but also highlighted the quality of Inter’s forwards.
Barcelona had drawn 3-3 in the first leg at the Olympic Stadium and found themselves two goals down in Milan before halftime.
Lautaro Martínez and Hakan Çalhanoğlu, from the penalty spot, scored for Inter. Barcelona responded with goals from Eric García and Dani Olmo, and Raphinha put the team ahead in the 87th minute, before goals from Acerbi and Frattesi.
Flick was proud of his team’s performance, but he also criticized the refereeing.
I know everyone is disappointed. Some decisions were dubious, always in favor of Inter, but that’s football. We have to accept it.
Hansi Flick
In addition, he congratulated Inter for their performance and wished them luck in the final.
Barcelona’s season is not over yet, as they have won the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey. On Sunday they will face Real Madrid with the opportunity to get closer to the LaLiga title.
Flick’s team leads the table with a four-point advantage over Real Madrid with four matchdays remaining.
It will be difficult, but we will give it our all. We have five days to prepare and we want to win. The hunger to win the title is important to me.
Hansi Flick
