Barcelona and Inter Milan shared a compelling 3-3 draw in a high-octane Champions League semi-final first leg clash on Wednesday.

The Italian side raced into a two-goal lead with superb strikes from Marcus Thuram and Denzel Dumfries, before the unstoppable Lamine Yamal pulled Barca back into it with a sublime solo effort.

Ferran Torres levelled for the five-time champions and although Inter nosed ahead through Dumfries again, a Yann Sommer own goal left the tie on a knife-edge at the halfway stage.

Inter were desperately hoping Thuram would be fit to play after a thigh injury and he showed precisely why, scoring the fastest ever Champions League semi-final goal after 30 seconds.

Barcelona’s Copa del Rey final winning goalscorer Jules Kounde hacked a poor clearance to the edge of the box, and Inter capitalised.

Dutch wide man Dumfries aimed a low cross towards Thuram and Inigo Martinez slipped at just the wrong time, allowing the France striker room to finish with an impudent back-heel flick.

Quadruple-chasing Barcelona seized control and pushed forward, roared on by a nervous 50,000 strong Olympic stadium crowd.

Yamal, on his 100th Barcelona appearance, appealed for a penalty after he was shoved by Alessandro Bastoni and then set up Torres, who fired wide.

The Spaniard, standing in for Barca’s injured top goalscorer Robert Lewandowski, lashed a volley narrowly off target.

Against the run of play Inter, whose treble hopes crumbled after three consecutive domestic defeats prior, scored their second, with another fine finish.

Francesco Acerbi nodded on a corner and Dumfries reached the dropping ball first to score with a stunning acrobatic effort.

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Barcelona teams over the past few years may have crumbled but Hansi Flick’s youthful side are not burdened by the series of European failures since they last won the competition in 2015.

Least of all teenage wizard Yamal, who pulled Barcelona back into the game just three minutes later with a wonderful individual goal that made him the youngest player ever to score in the semis.

On the eve of the game the Spaniard rejected comparisons to all-time Barca great Lionel Messi, but his goal was straight from the Argentine’s playbook.

Yamal shook off Thuram, floated inside from the right flank and past Henrikh Mkhitaryan into the box, drawing defenders towards him but before they could stop him, stroked an inch-perfect shot in off the left post.

Minutes later Yamal nearly repeated the trick. This time he darted outside, pausing to let Federico Dimarco lunge past him and off the pitch.

From a tight angle the youngster flashed a shot that Sommer tipped onto the crossbar.

– Breathless battle –
High on confidence Yamal set up further chances for Torres and Dani Olmo that went begging, before Barca pulled level.

Pedri hooked a ball into the area for Raphinha to head across goal and Torres to convert from close range after 38 breathless minutes.

Kounde limped off before half-time in a blow for Barca, who also replaced the inexperienced Gerard Martin with Ronald Araujo at the break.

Dimarco hammered over early in the second half before Simone Inzaghi hooked him, after a torrid night up against the relentless Yamal.

Inter took the sting out of the game early in the second half and then sucker-punched Barca, scoring from another corner, with Dumfries’ header bouncing in off Olmo.

Barcelona equalised within two minutes, with Yamal stepping over a corner on the edge of the box, allowing it to run to Raphinha.

The Brazilian’s rasping effort smashed against the crossbar and then in, off the back of the unfortunate diving Sommer’s head.

Pau Cubarsi made a vital recovery tackle to stop Thuram after he got in behind Barcelona’s high line, and Mkhitaryan had a goal ruled out for an extremely tight offside.

Yamal looped a second strike onto the crossbar late on but the sides could not be separated.

The second leg takes place in Milan next Tuesday, with the winner to face Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal on May 31 in the Munich final.

In a thrilling encounter at Anfield on Sunday, Liverpool triumphed over Tottenham with a decisive 5-1 victory, clinching the Premier League championship with four games to spare and marking their historic 20th title in England’s top flight.

Despite conceding an unexpected early goal, Liverpool quickly regained their composure and dominated the first half, energizing the crowd of over 60,000 fans.

With this victory, Liverpool has ensured that second-placed Arsenal cannot overtake them, drawing level with arch-rivals Manchester United as the most successful club in English football history.

The match commenced with palpable excitement at Anfield, enhanced by a rousing performance of the club’s anthem, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” under the warm spring sun.

Mohamed Salah had an early opportunity, and Cody Gakpo nearly scored with a stunning overhead kick. However, Tottenham initially threatened to disrupt the celebrations when Dominic Solanke scored with a powerful header from a James Maddison corner in the 12th minute.

Liverpool responded swiftly, equalizing just four minutes later when Luis Diaz converted Dominik Szoboszlai’s precise cross, overcoming an offside call thanks to VAR’s intervention.

The momentum shifted entirely in Liverpool’s favor, with Alexis Mac Allister putting the team ahead in the 24th minute, driving the ball home from the edge of the box past goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

The atmosphere transformed into a festive celebration as Gakpo extended the lead to 3-1, slotting a shot into the bottom corner after Tottenham failed to clear the danger.

Tottenham’s manager, Ange Postecoglou, made eight changes to the lineup that lost to Nottingham Forest, prioritizing the upcoming Europa League semi-finals, leaving his team with a daunting challenge.

Liverpool supporters, who were unable to celebrate their 2020 Premier League title due to COVID-19 restrictions, filled the stadium with an array of songs as the second half progressed, eager for a fourth goal.

Top scorer Salah eventually delivered, receiving a pass from Szoboszlai, cutting inside, and driving a shot into the bottom corner. He celebrated by taking a selfie with a fan’s phone in front of the Kop.

Chants of “We’re going to win the league” and “We shall not be moved” echoed throughout the stadium.

The rout continued when Tottenham defender Destiny Udogie inadvertently redirected the ball into his own net, bringing the score to 5-1 with about 20 minutes remaining as the match turned into a procession.

As the game entered added time, the club’s anthem played once more, with scarves raised high, and the final whistle ignited a thunderous ovation from the crowd.

Liverpool now sits on 82 points, 15 ahead of Arsenal with just four matches left in the season. Meanwhile, Tottenham languishes in 16th place in the Premier League table, suffering their 19th defeat of the season, intensifying the pressure on Postecoglou.

Prior to kickoff, tens of thousands of fans gathered outside Anfield in anticipation of Liverpool’s crowning moment, igniting flares as the home team bus arrived. Vendors outside the stadium offered flags and scarves emblazoned with “Liverpool 20-time Champions.”

At the beginning of the season, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City were favored to secure a fifth consecutive title, but their form deteriorated. Arsenal posed a challenge but failed to capitalize on Liverpool’s rare missteps due to too many drawn matches.

Despite initial concerns regarding the adaptation of Liverpool’s players to new manager Arne Slot’s strategies, he has navigated the season smoothly amid ongoing speculation about the futures of key players such as Salah, captain Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Both Salah and Van Dijk have inked two-year contract extensions, though it is believed that Alexander-Arnold may soon be on the verge of a move to Real Madrid.

The chances of four key players of the Super Eagles playing in the upcoming friendly game against Ghana at the four-team tournament in England are looking very slim, as revealed by OwnGoalNigeria.com.

The first match of the Super Eagles in the four-team tournament comes up on the 29th of May against the Black Stars of Ghana, a day after the game opener, which will be Trinidad and Tobago vs Jamaica.

The date of the game is too sudden for four key members of the team, who will at that time still be involved with their clubs, raising the possibility of missing the game and probably the tournament.

The players who may be absent from the game are Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Maduka Okoye, and Samuel Chukwueze.

Osimhen will play his last game of the season on the 1st of June, two days before the Super Eagles’ first game of the tournament, which means he won’t be available until he is released by Galatasaray.

Also, Lookman will play his last club game for the Italian side, Atalanta, on the 25th of May, four days before the start of the tournament, and the earliest he can arrive will be around the 26th or 27th. More so, his club also wants the player to take the summer off and be fit for the next season, as he is presently battling to be at his best due to injuries.

Due to club loyalty, goalkeeper Okoye of Udinese and Chukwueze of AC Milan are also said to be considering not featuring in the tournament.