Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has weighed in on the debate over Europe’s top team ahead of the crucial Champions League semi-final second leg.
Inter Milan secured a thrilling 7-6 aggregate victory over Barcelona to book their spot in the final.
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Barcelona appeared poised to reach the grand stage at the Allianz Arena after overturning a two-goal deficit to lead 3-2 in the closing minutes. ..Continue Reading
However, Inter struck a late equalizer in normal time before sealing the win in extra time, in what will be remembered as one of the most dramatic ties in Champions League history.
Either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal will face Inter in the final, with the two teams meeting in Paris for their decisive second leg on Wednesday.
PSG holds a narrow 1-0 advantage following their hard-fought win at the Emirates Stadium last week.
While many pundits believe Arsenal has a real chance of mounting a comeback in Paris, Salah has cautioned that they will once again be facing the ‘best team in Europe’ in PSG.
The French champions eliminated Aston Villa and Premier League winners Liverpool on their way to the semi-finals, also thrashing Manchester City during the league phase.
Luis Enrique’s side dominated Liverpool at home but still arrived at Anfield trailing by a goal after Harvey Elliott’s late strike for the Reds.
Despite the setback, PSG responded with a crucial 1-0 away win before triumphing in the penalty shootout to keep their hopes alive of lifting their first-ever Champions League title.
‘I have to be very honest, PSG were playing a very good game in the first leg,’ Salah told French outlet L’Equipe.
‘We were so lucky that Alisson had his best game in the club’s history probably. Then they came to Anfield. We were so unlucky because we hit the post two to three times.
‘That game was honestly 50/50 who deserved it more. No one could say. We played a very good second half. They played a very good first leg. Nobody here would say they deserved it 100 per cent.
‘It was their day and I shook their hands and said to their players after “congratulations, go and win” and that’s it. We faced the best team in Europe in that tie.’
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick, meanwhile, expressed his pride at his team after their semi-final defeat to Inter Milan.
‘I’m very disappointed that we’re out – but I’m not disappointed about the performance of my team. They tried everything,’ he said.
‘We’re out, but next year we’ll start again and we’ll make our fans, the club and everyone around us happy.
‘They [Inter] are a really good team, a strong team who defend well but also they have a really good striker.
‘In the second half we were really good. We gave everything but in the end it was like that and that’s what made me a bit sad.’
