Barça's defense fails again: 6 goals conceded in two Champions League matches

FC Barcelona once again displayed their usual collective duality this season in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals. Against Inter Milan (3-3), the side managed by Hansi Flick was a real steamroller in attack, but also shaky in defence.

Once again, the team started sluggishly, and less than a minute into the game, they were already trailing after a good backheel goal by Marcus Thuram. Gerard Martín was the weak link in the defence on the left, and by the 21st minute, the visitors went 0-2 up with another good goal from Denzel Dumfries.

In the second half, with Eric García and Ronald Araujo now on the pitch, the Dutchman put Inter ahead again, making them the second consecutive opponent in this Champions League campaign to score 3 goals against Barça in a single match.

Barça's defence deflates: 20 goals conceded in the Champions League

Thus, the Catalan team once again conceded 3 goals in 90 minutes, just as happened in the second leg of the quarter-finals against Borussia Dortmund (3-1). On that day, Serhou Guirassy scored a hat-trick, which, fortunately for Barça, proved futile for the German team's hopes.

However, the Culés continue to have many problems at the back. Despite the dominance they usually exert over their rivals, they concede too many clear chances. Their high defensive line and physical fatigue are undoubtedly taking their toll at this stage of the season.

Furthermore, Szczesny's presence has not provided a solution at the back for Barça in the Champions League either. Despite standout performances in the round of 16 against Benfica (and in the quarter-finals against Dortmund), the Pole has conceded 13 goals in 7 matches.

Iñaki Peña, during the league phase, conceded 7 goals in the 6 matches he played. This means that across 13 games, the Blaugrana team has conceded 20 goals. The difference-maker is the attack, as the team's tally reached 40 goals scored after the Inter match (averaging 3.07 per game).

Inter: 2 corners and 2 goals against Barça at Montjuïc

Denzel Dumfries scored two goals against Barça (3-3)

Another very worrying point for Barça was conceding 2 goals from corners in the same match. Denzel Dumfries took advantage of the confusion in the Blaugrana defence to score a brace, the first with an acrobatic volley in the 21st minute, after Acerbi headed the ball down towards the penalty spot.

In the 64th minute, the Dutchman won an aerial duel again, this time outjumping Dani Olmo. The Culés clearly defended the cross delivered by Hakan Çalhanoğlu poorly, and on both plays, Szczesny also looked uncertain about coming out to punch clear.

Regarding this, Hansi Flick made it clear that this will be a key aspect to improve for the return leg in Milan. "Every team has its strengths, and we knew that. We knew they were good at set pieces," the manager started by saying.

He added: "They are tall, experienced... if they get a chance, they take it. Inter impressed me." For the Italians, the visit to Montjuïc featured 100% shot accuracy (3 out of 3 on target).

This explains why, despite being dominated for most of the match and having only 28% possession and needing 7 saves from Yann Sommer, the 'Nerazzurri' managed to salvage a draw over the 90 minutes.

Interestingly, on their last visit to Barcelona, Inter had also drawn by the same scoreline (3-3). That occurred during the 22-23 group stage, a result that practically eliminated the team then coached by Xavi Hernández.

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