Following Wednesday night’s thrilling 3-3 draw between Barcelona and Inter Milan at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Thierry Henry has blasted a modification to the Champions League rules. After a Barcelona comeback, Denzel Dumfries’ late second goal seemed to have won the victory, but Inter ultimately left Catalonia feeling like they had lost a chance after Simone Inzaghi’s team jumped out to an early two-goal lead.
An unfortunate slice of luck—an own goal by Yann Sommer—provided the pivotal moment. With only twenty-five minutes remaining, Raphinha launched a strong, curling shot from the box’s edge, and the ball bounced off the crossbar, hit the Swiss goalkeeper’s back, and rebounded into his own net. See the objective below:
Henry expressed his annoyance at a recent rule change that he feels unjustly robbed Inter a well-earned advantage, since the semi-final is now evenly matched going into next week’s return leg at the storied San Siro.
Thierry Henry Slams Champions League Rule Change
The away goal rule was scrapped back in 2021
Henry thinks the thrilling match on Wednesday night made clear why the away goals rule should never have been removed. The rule, which was abandoned in 2021, let the side with the most goals scored away from home to advance if the final score was tied after both legs.
Inter, who scored three goals on Spanish territory, would have surely gone as the more satisfied of the two teams if it had remained in place. Inzaghi’s team isn’t any closer to winning without it than they were before to yesterday night, Henry clarified on CBS Sports following the game (see the entire clip below):
“I understand that things have been that way for a very long time, and we must accept that, but it’s unfair. How can you have no advantage when you score three goals away from home? For me, the away goals were crucial because, after all, how can you score three goals and still have no edge over a 0-0 home draw?
In contrast, Barcelona will be glad that they were spared a loss in the middle of the week, leaving the match in a precarious position before the second leg. Henry acknowledged that he was taken aback by Inter’s performance. The question now is whether the Italian team can maintain that level of intensity for a another ninety minutes or longer, and possibly defeat the current favorites before the Munich final next month.
After losing to Manchester City by a slim margin in the 2023 Champions League final, a victory would send Inter to their second final in three seasons. With a 1-0 lead from the first leg at the Emirates Stadium, the winner of this semi-final will next play either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal.
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