The European Week in Review: Semifinal Edition | OneFootball

The European Week in Review is back, recapping the best moments from the semifinals of the UEFA Champions, Europa, and Conference Leagues.

There’s just one match remaining in each European club competition, and what was 108 total teams across the three tournaments has been whittled down to just six. It’s almost time to look towards the finals, but before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s analyze all the thrills, spills, and chills the semifinal rounds of the UEFA Champions, Europa, and Conference Leagues.

Star Man of the Round: Denzel Dumfries

There was only ever going to be one.

Denzel Dumfries over two legs produced a performance that even the most prolific of attackers would sit back and be proud of.

Inter have been a joy to watch under Simone Inzaghi, and a huge feature of the way his side plays is his flying fullbacks, a tactic that bore its fruit within one minute in the first leg. Dumfries found himself leading a counterattack seconds into the game, and while his first effort was cleared, possession was recycled and he whipped in a devilish ball into the box for an equally audacious flick from Marcus Thuram to open the scoring.

Not long later, the flying Dutchman took to the sky. An Inter corner kick was headed into the six-yard box where he rose highest and fired home an acrobatic finish to leave everyone inside the Olímpic Lluís Companys stunned; and it wouldn’t be the last time.

Right on the hour-mark, another corner gave Dumfries an additional opportunity to fly, and he towered over the entire Barça defense and diverted his header past Wojciech Szczęsny and gave Inter a crucial third goal.

A direct hand in all three of Inter’s goals, away from home in hostile territory, it was one of the best performances we’d seen all year, and he was the inevitable choice for the Man of the Match.

Dumfries began the second leg the same way he did the first. He found himself playing on the shoulder of the last defender midway into the first half at San Siro, and his intelligent run got him in behind the defense before he put it on a platter for Lautaro Martinez to tap it home.

His crowning moment was yet to come, however. When Inter seemed dead and buried — trailing by a goal with less than three minutes of stoppage time remaining — Dumfries won the ball down the right flank and drilled a cross into the box for Francesco Acerbi, who produced the finish of his life to send the game to extra time, where Inter would go on to win it.

We witnessed one of the best two-legged performances in Champions League history.

Most Hype Moment: Frattesi Calls Game

One of only two matches this round that required extra time, and the biggest moment came courtesy of Inter’s super-sub Davide Frattesi.

Ninety-eight minutes into the clash, it was Thuram isolated in a sea of neon green, yet somehow the Frenchman wriggled his way into a pocket of space before finding Mehdi Taremi with his back to goal. The link-up play was instinctive. Taremi laid the ball off with his first touch for the onrushing Frattesi, who, with incredible composure, slotted it into the far corner, and the rest was history.

The eruption of jubilation when the goal went in was enough to make the hair on the back of even the most desensitized neck stand up, and trust us, it’s worth going back to watch.

Best Kit Matchup: Djurgardens vs. Chelsea, First Leg

We take it to the Conference League for our top kit matchup, with Swedish side Djurgardens hosting Chelsea.

Chelsea’s cream away kit has been one of our favorites all year, but the contrast provided by the home kit of the Swedes was lovely.

What can we say? Pinstripes will always hold a special place in our hearts, and the sky blue and navy combo works a charm. Simple kit, no funny business, the game is so back.

Best Pregame Fit: PSG Come Suited and Booted

For the biggest game of their season, and probably the biggest since their last UCL final appearance in 2020, PSG dressed as they meant to go on.

Dropped from head to toe in tidy black suits from Dior, we should’ve known that it would be the funeral procession for Arsenal’s season.

Best Stadium Atmosphere: Inter vs. Barcelona, 2nd Leg

After a blockbuster first leg, we knew that the return fixture between Inter and Barça would cook up something special.

One of the most iconic cathedrals of the sport was the venue, and the San Siro takes this spot for the second round running.

A 90th-minute equalizer and an extra time winner will always help out your atmosphere, but from over an hour before kickoff, the stadium was raucous, and in a tie as evenly matched as this one, it wouldn’t be ridiculous to say that the home field advantage played a huge factor when 180 minutes of football was not enough to separate the two.

San Siro cooked us up a 4-3 certified streets classic. A 7-6 aggregate score matched the highest in history, and the Nerazzurri will aim to make the Munich Football Arena feel as much like home as possible.