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A decade later, La Real celebrated their return to the Champions League with a colossal performance against Inter. A real bath that, due to those imponderables of football, finally ended in tables. A goal by Lautaro in the final stretch froze the spirits of the San Sebastian fans, who could well celebrate four or five goals from their team. But the top tournament never forgives those who get lost. In the Champions League, the successful finisher weighs as much as the defensive inattentions. And a rival with so much history in the shield can not be granted so many concessions. [Narration and statistics (1-1)]

For 75 minutes, the txuri-urdin conviction contrasted with the ineffectiveness of an unrecognizable Inter. Almost immediately, La Real was able to place with a 3-0, although Brais did not hit in the first instance against Sommer and the stick spat the left-footed Barrenetxea. Until a glaring error by Bastoni at the start was taken advantage of by Brais to delirium of the REALE Arena.

The last Champions League finalist, one of the fittest teams in Europe, was unceremoniously swallowed. He always found a free man the Real, driven by Zubimendi and Merino, with the industriousness of Oyarzabal and the subtleties of Kubo, who left the 2-0 in the head of Le Normand, without the conviction that the gift deserved. It was a miracle that Inter came into the break with a defeat by the minimum.

Merino, to the spar

With Lautaro out of circulation and the insulting indolence of the visitor, the second half continued to be conducted. Barella saw direct red for a stomp on the crotch of Brais, but the protests took their toll on Michael Oliver, who changed his criteria after the consultation on the VAR monitor. Almost immediately, Kubo threw a corner kick right where Merino was waiting for her, whose fierce stubbornness would trip over the crossbar.

Pippo Inzaghi, unhinged in the technical area, could not even count a shot well aimed at Remiro. When it arrived, in a beautiful action between Alexis Sánchez and Carlos Augusto on the left, Thuram's shot into the net was invalidated for offside. However, in the last round of changes the realistic fortunes had begun to turn. The wear, after more than an hour of suffocating pressure in the rival field, made too much dent.

With a quarter of an hour to go, La Real needed mettle to achieve what they had deserved so much. To accelerate the advance of the clock and that nothing was played, to stop with fouls the races of Dimarco or the push of Dumfries. But she did not know how to impose that football, with which she has never felt identified. By the time Inter started to believe they could scratch something, it was too late. A shot to Frattesi's tune was read by Lautaro before the centre-backs. Without competitive possibility, you never get far in the Champions League.

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