The clash between two successful clubs in Spain and Italy, Barcelona and Inter, has produced unforgettable memories in the Champions League. Since their first meeting in the premier competition in 2002, the face-off between the pair has been high octane and often a deciding factor for the campaign. The Catalan giants have dominated this fixture in 13 meetings so far, with six wins to two and the remaining five ending in a draw. However, the head-to-head record does not say the full thing, as the Nerazzuri have been Barcelona’s able opposition and have turned heads with their performance as well. Along with players, the match-up also boasted some top names on the touchline who have taken tactical battles in this encounter to a high level.
We look back at some of the memorable Champions League meetings between Barcelona and Inter:
Inter 3-1 Barcelona - Semi-final 1st Leg 2009/10 (21 April 2010)
Inter’s first-ever win over Barcelona in the fifth attempt in the Champions League was sensational. Not only did it come against the defending champions under the manager who defined an era at the Catalan giants in the semifinal stage, but it also established their own legacy in the premier competition under a rising managerial prospect, Jose Mourinho, transforming from underdogs to title competitors. The Nerazzuri faced them earlier in that season at the group stage and felt the force of the opposition, something they were reminded of when Pedro Rodriguez gave the visitors the lead in the 19th minute. However, it was a different Inter who had grown nerves of steel by overcoming Chelsea and CSKA Moskva’s stiff challenges to reach this stage. Stepped up Wesley Sneijder, who levelled up inside half an hour from Diego Militao, the unbeatable scorer for the tournament that season and a nuisance to Barca’s defence in the match. The Argentinian got on the scoresheet but not before assisting another goal, scored by Maicon, as Inter took a commendable 3-1 lead at Camp Nou, maintaining their unbeaten home record in the semifinals.
Barcelona 1-0 Inter - Semi-final 2nd Leg 2009/10 (29 April 2010)
Their finest win in Champions League history at San Siro made headlines, as few would have dared to put three goals past Pep Guardiola’s Barca, let alone make such a comeback. However, Inter knew their job was half done as Barcelona was more than capable of eliminating them at their fortress Camp Nou, where they looked invincible, also carrying the advantage of an away goal. The media hype around the encounter said so, with more voices on the hosts staging a miraculous comeback than the guest securing their path to the Champions League final in a remarkable feat. Knowing the course of the game, Inter gave up pressing and resorted to their strength, which was fundamental to their success, defending resolutely.
Even though Mourinho’s side kept the unearthly Lionel Messi relatively quiet in the first leg, they knew the magic he had to offer in front of home fans and wasted no time in firing multiple warnings but goalkeeper Julio Cesar, who made a string of important saves in the first leg, proved to be a brick wall again. The Nerazzuri were in the clash with a lot of teething problems, having lost the key player Goran Pandev through injury in the warm-up and had problems mounting when Thiago Motta was sent off controversially in the 28th minute, with Sergio Busquets making more of the contact he felt on his face. However, the moment that might have slid the team into the abyss, Inter showed a different reaction to the red card.
Mourinho’s men stuck to their guns despite the host knocking on them, with a man advantage, for the entirety of the game, holding a 73% possession with 14 shots taken and their most reliable defensive midfielder gone. Barca showed that they are a side that can change things instantly, with Gerard Piqué reducing the deficit in the tie in the 84th minute. The vast majority of the 98000 present at Nou Camp got a sense of energy, while the away support missed a beat in their heart when Bojan Krkic thought he had elevated his team to consecutive finals in stoppage time, only to be flagged offside. It finished 1-0 victory to Barcelona, but jubilation for Inter as they did the unthinkable to foster a special evening.
Barcelona 2-1 Inter - Group stage 2019/20 (3 October 2019)
It was the first time that Barcelona and Inter faced each other for consecutive seasons in the Champions League, with both sides again chasing supremacy in Europe. The 2019-20 season battle was fought in the group stage with an early group decider on the cards. Both teams played a dull draw in their opening group games, so there was an urge to prove something. Inter were taking baby steps to return to their glory days under Antonio Conte, so it was time to prove their mettle on the biggest stage as they played the five-time winners at home. To their credit, Inter’s star in the making, Lautaro Martinez, put his side into the lead inside 13 minutes to stun the Camp Nou. Barcelona had never lost to the Italians at home and needed a response, which was given perfectly by their marksman striker, Luis Suarez. Ernesto Valverde’s men throng forward in numbers in the second half with Lionel Messi driving inside the box to open up Arturo Vidal, whose cross was spectacularly side-volleyed by the Uruguayan. The winner also came from the former Liverpool player, with Messi once again bypassing the Nerazzuri defence and directly assisting his teammate to take a touch and score with his weaker foot this time. The quality and class of El Pistolero were defined precisely in that game.
Barcelona 3-3 Inter - Group Stage 2022-23 (13 October 2022)
The Nou Camp again witnessed a stunning match when Inter visited Barcelona in 2022 for a group stage clash. The stakes were pretty different this time as the Blaugranas were the ones in a bad position in a ‘group of death’ also containing Bayern Munich, requiring a victory to stay in the Champions League. It was the penultimate group game with Inter winning the reverse leg in Milan, only their second ever in this fixture, so the guests only needed to avoid defeat to confirm their second spot and qualification to the knockouts. Never before have the Catalan giants faced such a challenge to avoid a humiliating group stage exit, especially with a club legend in charge, compelling them to react in this do-or-die battle.
The host started strongly with Ousmane Dembélé scoring the first goal from a well-executed corner to charge up the home atmosphere, which was trying to intimidate the opposition, just minutes before half-time. However, the visitors were a transformed side since Simeone Inzaghi took charge, giving Inter a fighting spirit that was lacking for years. The Nerazzuri responded early in the second half with Nicolo Barella ghosting behind the defence to fire in the leveller. That goal brought belief into the team, with Lautaro Martinez again proving a headache for the Catalans as he put his side in front by chest-trapping a long ball and finishing with precision. Barcelona were facing the nightmare of an early exit and scrambled at the death to rescue ṭhe game from a major disadvantage.
Inter, in the typical way, dropped back, knowing that they had more than a favourable result in the evening, but being too lenient almost cost them. Robert Lewandowski sneaked in the leveller from a botched clearance of his initial header in the 82nd minute to give motivation for the team to stage a comeback. Just as things were looking to crumble for Inzaghi’s men, Martinez turned rescuer with his initiated counter-attack and then his pass to Robin Gosens to retake the lead. That goal was a dagger to the heart for Barcelona fans, as even though Lewandowski got on the scoresheet in the first of six minutes of stoppage time and Ter Stegen denied Kosovare Asllani from point-blank range, the damage was already done.
Barcelona 3-3 Inter - Semifinal 1st Leg 2024-25 (1 May 2025)
The meetings in Spain bring different ingredients to this fixture, as it was proved again in the face-off in the semifinal stage of the Champions League 15 years later. Barcelona, the best scoring side in the 2024-25 season, rejuvenated under Hansi Flick, were seeking revenge for past disappointments in the fixture against Inter Milan, the best defence in the season, with only four goals conceded before the last four battle. It was the making of a colossal clash and it lived up to the expectation. Once again, Inter was the underdog in the fixture despite dominating the new League Phase format and annexing their 2010 final opponents, Bayern Munich, on the way. Just not them, anyone playing the charismatic Barcelona carried the same tag.
Barca under Flick are a joy to watch, having won a domestic double and seeking a quadruple, they came into the fixture beaming with confidence on the back of a Copa del Rey win against arch-rivals Real Madrid. However, Inzaghi’s side has shown how destructive they could be with their defensive supremacy and counterattack, unleashing it on the best team on the continent. Marcus Thuram gave visitors the lead inside just 30 seconds and before the opposition could recover from the jolt, Denzel Dumfries’s acrobatic kick made it 2-0. That was the most vulnerable this rampaging side felt in the campaign, with the nightmares of their last semifinal exit in this fixture lingering. But this Barca was a different Barca that sustained an elite mentality to counter such situations, amid their high-intensity and risk-taking football, with their quality individuals.
The inspiration was brought by their 17-year-old wonderkid Lamine Yamal, who made the show of his own, unleashing another left-footed beauty past Yann Sommer, the best keeper this season. In the 38th minute, Ferran Torres got on the scoresheet after great work from Pedri and Raphinha and in the blink of an eye, Barcelona cleared their deficit. Dumfries got his second from the corner in the second half, but Catalan giants’ Brazilian maestro piledriver minutes later made it 3-3 on the evening. Henrik Mkhitaryan bulged the net for the fourth time for Inter, only to be flagged offside by margins as Barcelona's high-line looks to be exposed time and time again. The scoreline wasn’t changed further as it is now beautifully anchored for the return leg at San Siro.
