Inter Milan battled for more than an hour with 10 men before booking a place in next month's Champions League final at Barcelona's expense on a triumphant night for the Italian side's coach Jose Mourinho. The Spanish holders won the semi-final second leg 1-0 but Inter went through 3-2 on aggregate on a passionate night at the Nou Camp to put the Milan side through to their first final of Europe's elite club competition since 1972.
Belgian referee Frank de Bleeckere dismissed Motta and caused an uproar. The Brazilian, already on a booking, did indeed raise a hand when defending the ball and made contact with Busquets' face as he did so, but a straight red card was viewed as a harsh decision.
The best effort of the first half by far, though, came from Messi, the Argentine's goalbound curler from 20 yards superbly tipped wide on the stretch by Inter keeper Julio Cesar.
The second period was even more one-sided in terms of possession, with almost the entire half played in Inter's defensive third.
With six minutes of normal time remaining, Barcelona defeated the Italians for virtually the first time.
In the final few minutes, Barca keep bombarding the inter goal but to no avail. The Italians proved to be too resilient and the matched finishied 2-3 on aggregate in Inter's favor.
As the final whistle blew, Mourinho sprinted around the Nou Camp pitch with his hands aloft - a pointed salute to the Barca supporters and media critics who had labelled him "The Translator" in mocking tribute to his time at the club in the 1990s.
The Italian giants will now face Bayern Munich at the Bernabeu on 22 May as Mourinho attempts to lead them to European football's top prize for the first time in more than 40 years.
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