Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi didn’t hold back when talking about FC Barcelona's young star Lamine Yamal after the thrilling 3-3 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal clash.

“We had to triple-team him”

“Yamal really impressed me. He’s a once-in-50-years phenomenon,” Inzaghi said in his post-match press conference at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. “We had to put three players on him and keep an eye on him for the full 90 minutes.”

The Italian coach also praised his team’s effort against “a massive club like Barcelona,” especially considering they had just played a tough Serie A match against Roma 48 hours earlier. “We didn’t have time to recover,” he explained.

Second leg won’t be any easier

Despite the valuable away draw, Inzaghi admitted that the return leg in Milan will be just as tough and hinted that he may have to do without his captain, Argentine striker Lautaro Martínez, who picked up an injury during the match.

“Tuesday will be like a final, and we’ll probably have to play it without our captain,” he said. Still, he remains confident in his squad: “Barcelona now knows they’re up against a great Inter side that’s really hard to beat.”

With the draw, everything is still to play for in the second leg at the Giuseppe Meazza, where both teams will battle for a spot in the Champions League final.