BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Almost six minutes into stoppage time, Lamine Yamal entered the area with the ball in front of him and only the goalkeeper to beat.
The teenage sensation was being challenged by a defender, but looked in good position to find the net.
Instead of scoring the goal that would likely take Barcelona to its first Champions League final in a decade, Yamal couldn’t manage more than a weak left-footed shot that went straight into the hands of Inter Milan goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
The 17-year-old Spain forward had another strong performance Tuesday, creating chances and being a constant threat, but it wasn't enough to lead the Catalan club to its first Champions League final in a decade.
Yamal’s missed opportunity at the end of regulation proved costly, leaving the score even at 3-3 before Inter Milan prevailed 4-3 in extra time to advance to the final 7-6 on aggregate score.
Yamal had scored an amazing goal in the first leg in Barcelona, but couldn’t find the net this time to help Barcelona in the return match in San Siro.
Another left-footed effort in extra time looked promising but Sommer made a fingertip save to preserve the 4-3 lead.
“Which save will I remember?” said Sommer, the game’s most valuable player. “The last one on Lamine Yamal. He is a great player and fortunately it didn’t go in. Many teams would have given up after going down 3-2 but we didn’t and managed to come back.”
Sommer was speaking to Sky Italia in quotes reproduced by UEFA.
Sommer had already made a few saves to stop Yamal during the match, including a diving, one-handed deflection to parry away a long-range strike by the young forward in the 77th with the score 2-2.
Yamal’s missed opportunity at the end of regulation came only minutes after Inter had equalized with a goal by Francesco Acerbi. Raphinha had put Barcelona ahead in the 87th in another thrilling match between the clubs.
Yamal appeared to be in disbelief after he couldn’t get the ball past Sommer. After the referee blew the whistle at the end of regulation, he briefly raised his shirt in front of his face.
A trip to the final would have added to the sensational start of Yamal's career, both with Barcelona and with Spain’s national team, where he has been setting records and earning praise from across the soccer world.
Barcelona was trying to reach the final for the first time since it won its fifth Champions League title in 2015.
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The Associated Press
