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Former Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar recently spoke about his iconic save against Lionel Messi at Camp Nou when Barcelona and the Italian giants clashed in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League back in 2010.
With the two sides set to face each other once again at the same stadium tomorrow (October 12), the former Nerazzurri goalie has revisited the moment.
After beating Barcelona 3-1 in the first leg of the tie back in 2010, Inter Milan traveled to Camp Nou to finish the job in the second leg a week later. Despite a resilient defensive display from the Italians, the Catalan giants managed to score once and needed just a goal to progress into the final.
Lionel Messi thought he had finally got the job done when he fired a brilliant shot that looked destined for the back of the net in the closing stages of the game. However, Cesar produced one of the biggest saves in Champions League history to deny the Argentine and secure Inter's passage into the final.
During an interview with La Gazzetta Dello Sport, the Brazilian great revealed that people still ask him how he managed to pull off that incredible save. He told La Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Football Italia):
“I don’t know if it was the best one, but it is surely the most famous and important. Everyone remembers it. Still today, people ask me how I managed to do it. I stretched well. But the question is: how did Inter manage such an impressive performance?"
"Barcelona were regarded as the best team in the world at that time, it was hard to beat them 11 vs. 11; imagine being down to one man. The red card to Thiago Mota united us even more, it was our night. We played as a unit and we didn’t risk much.”
With the two clubs set to lock horns once again tomorrow, Julio Cesar remarked that it would be a different game from the one he featured in back in 2010. He added that Inter would need to put up a solid and organized performance to get a result at Camp Nou and continued:
“This is a different game, we can’t put a semi-final and a group-stage game on the same level. Obviously, Inter will have to keep their nerves as we did. I think Inter need a solid performance, with organization, and can even play to win."
"They’ll have some chances and will have to make the most of them. They will suffer for sure, but they’ll have to resist.”
Julio Cesar identifies Robert Lewandowski as huge threat to Inter in Lionel Messi's absence
Although Messi is no longer a Barcelona player, Cesar has warned Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana of the threat posed by Barca's new boy Robert Lewandowski. The former Brazil and Inter Milan goalkeeper explained:
"It’s such an important game that he needs no advice. He has grown at Barcelona, so he will have extra motivation. Once upon a time, their No.1 threat was Leo Messi; now it’s Robert Lewandowski, I wish Onana would make another great save."
