No one ever called Jose Mourinho a predictable tactician, but many assumed the Inter boss would turn the first leg of the Champions League semifinal into a defensive masterclass.
Not so. Inter's play—especially in the second period—was far from cagey as they eased past Barcelona for a 3-1 first-leg advantage behind two second-half goals.
Though some lazy defending gifted both teams first-half goals, the ease in which Barcelona unlocked Inter's defense for the game's opener in the 19th minute was startling.
Barcelona fullback Maxwell took off down the left side unchallenged by the Inter defense—and even saw Inter defender Maicon completely back off—before launching a pass from the endline to Pedro, who coolly finished from a yard behind the penalty spot.
Inter weren't without their chances and could have had three goals before halftime, but Diego Milito dragged two efforts wide and Lucio missed a close-range header from Wesley Schnider's free kick.
But Inter tied things up in the 30th minute thanks to more sloppy defending—this time from the visitors—when Milito gathered the ball just inside the box, immediately drawing three defenders. Taking advantage of the extra space on the left was Schnider, who collected Milito's pass and buried his shot.
Inter were rampant in the second half, and Maicon would atoned from his earlier gaffe by tallying the go-ahead score after Lionel Messi had coughed up possession in midfield.
Schnieder took the gift and ran toward the Barca goal before finding Milito on the right. The Argentine squared his pass to Maicon, whose touch easily beat Victor Valdez.
Minutes later Inter stretched the advantage, again springing a counterattack to get behind the Barca defense. Samuel Eto'o looped in a pass from the right, and after Ibraimovic tossed his header across goal—perhaps a botched attempt on frame—Milito was positioned perfectly to head home Inter's third.
At the other end, Inter 'keeper Julio Cesar made some key saves from Messi and Sergio Busquets, while Esteban Cambiasso blocked Pedro's effort. Barcelona also had a penalty shout when Schnieder felled Dani Alves, but the referee judged that the Barcelona defender had dived and the scoreline stood.
Barcelona host the second leg on April 28.
Maicon attracting interestRevs head home from SJ with work to do
