Barcelona is on the verge of a second consecutive Champions League group-stage exit after being held to a draw by Inter Milan in a breathless and high-octane game at the Nou Camp.
After being defeated in the San Siro the previous week, Xavi’s side went into the game knowing that they needed to win to have any chance of progressing from Group C, with teams on the same points split by their head-to-head record.
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Inter, who are currently second in the table, trail Bayern Munich, who advanced on Wednesday, by three points, with both teams still to play Bayern and Viktoria Plzen.
Just before halftime, Raphina did well to keep the ball in play before threading it through for Sergi Roberto, who squared for Ousmane Dembele to tap home.
It prompted joyous and extravagant celebrations from manager Xavi and the entire Barcelona team, but this quickly turned to despair in the second half.
Nicolo Barella latched onto an Alessandro Bassani dinked ball and fired into the roof of the net to bring Inter level, before Lautaro Martinez chested a Hakan Calhanoglu right-wing cross inside Eric Garcia, his effort hitting both posts before going over the line.
It created a frenzy at the Nou Camp, and the pressure eventually paid off when Poland striker Robert Lewandowski saw a header fall back at his feet, and his deflected effort sneaked past Andre Onana.
The game then descended into chaos.
Inter took the lead once more when Onana cleared quickly for Martinez, who squared for Robin Gosens to lash home and eliminate Barcelona from contention.
However, the drama did not end there, as Lewandowski rose highest to meet Garcia’s cross from the right and head past Onana, reviving the hosts’ hopes.
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So far Robert Lewandowski has scored 14 goals in 12 games since joining Barcelona
Inter then had two chances to win it on the break, with Kristjan Asllani being put through but Marc-Andre ter Stegen saving with his legs and Gosens having a header saved.
