Hansi Flick says he is proud of the fighting spirit following their epic 7-6 aggregate defeat to Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, Afrosport reports.
The Blaugrana forced comebacks from 2-0 down in both legs but their efforts were not enough as the Nerazzurri were able to respond, ultimately winning the tie in extra time to reach their second final in two years.
For Barcelona, their wait to reach the Champions League final continues since doing so in 2015 when they defeated Juventus in Berlin.
“I know that everyone is disappointed, we could be disappointed that we are out because we invested a lot in this match and came back again,” Flick said.
“I think some decisions (that) were 50-50 (went) always for Inter, but it’s like that. And we have to accept it, it’s football, but at the end we can be proud about our performance. I’m proud of my team, I’m proud of my team, we gave everything.
“Sometimes it’s like that, you feel a little bit unfair because I think some decisions the referee made were really maybe not on our side, but it’s like that. We have to accept it and we start again next season to win the Champions League. This is one of our goals.”
The German tactician added: “I think at the end it’s always about that, give everything you have in the team and play with the other team-mates. I think in the second half we did it much better than in the first half.
“We are not at the end, we have a really huge defeat now, but have to stand up, this is the message I want to give. We have to stand up and fight for the next season, but also fight until the end of the season.”
13 – Inter (7) v Barcelona (6) is now the joint-highest scoring semi-final tie in the UEFA Champions League, along with Liverpool 7-6 Roma in 2017-18. Rollercoaster. #INTBAR
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 6, 2025
Barcelona’s Champions League exit has ended their hopes of winning a treble for the second time in their history.
The currently lead the La Liga standings and are four points clear of fierce rivals Real Madrid.
