Inter Milan advanced to the 2025 UEFA Champions League final, eliminating Barcelona with a 7-6 aggregate victory in one of the wildest ties in recent history.

Entering the second leg tied 3-3, Inter Milan scored twice in the first half to push their aggregate advantage to 5-3 by halftime. Barcelona responded quickly after the break, scoring two goals in seven minutes to even the tie again. In the 87th minute, Barcelona’s Raphinha scored the go-ahead goal and it looked like the Spanish giants would go through with a 6-5 aggregate win – but Francesco Acerbi tied it up in stoppage time to force an extra 30 minutes.

Davide Frattesi’s goal less than 10 minutes into extra time restored Milan’s lead and Inter managed to hold on for the 7-6 aggregate victory.

Inter Milan is in the Champions League final for the second time in three years after losing to Manchester City in 2023. The Italian club will face Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain in the final in Munich on May 31.

Here’s how the match unfolded:

Inter Milan vs. Barcelona highlights

When is the Champions League final?

The 2025 Champions League final is scheduled for Saturday, May 31 at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

Davide Frattesi goal! Inter Milan on top in extra time

Nine minutes into extra time, Inter Milan’s Davide Frattesi scored past Szczęsny, giving his team 7-6 aggregate lead. It’s been a stunning turn of events at the San Siro.

Inter Milan goal! Acerbi scores to force extra time vs. Barcelona

Just when it looked like Barcelona had secured their place in the final with a go-ahead goal in 87th minute, defender Francesco Acerbi found the back of the net in the 93rd minute to make it 6-6 on aggregate and force the semifinal to extra time.

Raphina goal! Barcelona leads in final minutes

In the 87th minute, Barcelona’s Raphina got his own rebound and fired a rocket to beat Yann Sommer at his far post, completing the comeback by giving the Spanish giants a 6-5 aggregate lead.

Inter Milan led 2-0 in the first leg (3-3 draw) and 2-0 on Tuesday. coughing up three Barcelona goals in the second half to cough up the advantage they needed to just hold for 45 minutes.

Champions League extra time rules

Barcelona and Inter Milan are tied 5-5 on aggregate in the 80th minute, and if things stay all square after 90 minutes, the match goes into 30 minutes of extra-time with two 15-minute halves.

If the match is still tied after 120 minutes, a penalty shootout will decide which team advances to the Champions League final.

Dani Olmo goal! Inter Milan 5, Barcelona 5 on aggregate

This thrilling Champions League semifinal is all tied up again, with Barcelona’s Dani Olmo scoring a header in the 60th minute, erasing Inter Milan’s two-goal lead in just seven minutes. Olmo got on the end of an absolutely perfect cross from Gerard Martín, who had assisted on Barcelona’s first goal.

Eric Garcia goal! Barcelona cuts Milan lead to 5-4

Barcelona defender Eric Garcia was an unlikely goalscorer in the 54th minute, smashing home a volley to cut Inter Milan’s two-goal advantage in half. Minutes later, Inter Milan goalkeeper Yann Sommer made a stunning save on a Barcelona counterattack, denying Garcia a second goal with on an opportunity the right back should have converted.

Hakan Çalhanoglu goal! Inter Milan leads 5-3 on aggregate

After VAR awarded a penalty to Inter Milan right before halftime, Hakan Çalhanoglu stepped up and sent Barcelona goalkeeper the wrong way Wojciech Szczęsny with a perfect spot kick – giving the Italians a two-goal advantage to hold for the last 45 minutes.

Lautaro Martínez goal! Inter Milan up 1-0 (4-3 on aggregate)

With a nice assist from Denzel Dumfries, Inter’s Lautaro Martínez scored the game’s opening goal in the 21st minute.

Champions League semifinal underway in Milan

Entering the second leg tied 3-3 on aggregate, Barcelona and Inter Milan have gotten started at the San Siro, with 90 minutes (plus extra time) separating one of the teams from the 2025 Champions League final.

Barcelona lineup today vs. Inter Milan: Starting 11

Barcelona: Szczęsny; Martin, Iñigo, Cubarsí, Eric; Pedri, De Jong, Olmo; Raphinha, Ferran, Lamine.

Inter Milan lineup vs. Barcelona tonight: Starting 11

Inter Milan: Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Çalhanoğlu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; L. Martínez, Thuram

Inter Milan vs. Barcelona first leg highlights

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona: El Clasico coming up

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti promised his team will put up a good fight against LaLiga leaders Barcelona at the ‘El Clasico’ next Sunday, as the defending champions look to reduce a four-point gap with their arch-rivals.

Defending champions Real secured a 3-2 win over Celta Vigo on Sunday to keep their title dream alive going into the last four matches in the campaign. Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 15 league games, and beat Real 3-2 after extra time to win the Copa del Rey last weekend.

‘We’re going to prepare well, we’re going to put up a good fight,’ Ancelotti said in a post-match press conference. ‘It’s not going to be decisive but it’s almost there.’

– Reuters

Lamine Yamal causes headaches for Inter Milan

Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni called on his team to pull out all the stops in their bid to contain Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. The prodigious 17-year-old Yamal wowed the crowd at Montjuic with a sublime goal and a bold performance, helping Barcelona twice fight back to secure a gripping 3-3 draw in the first leg.

Bastoni, the 25-year-old centre back, who faced Yamal during last year’s European Championship where Spain beat Italy 1-0, expressed admiration for the teenager’s rapid progression.

‘I had already faced him with Spain and he was not yet at this level,’ Bastoni told a press conference on Monday. ‘I was impressed by the level he reached, for his age and ability to create incredible things on the pitch, I think he is among the best in the world right now. We’ll have to double, maybe triple (mark) him like we did at times in the first leg, but without exaggerating, otherwise we would create too many spaces. Barcelona is not just Yamal.’

– Reuters

Robert Lewandowski injury update: Barca on bench vs. Inter Milan

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has been declared fit to return from a hamstring injury but is set to start on the bench in their Champions League semi-final second leg at Inter Milan on Tuesday, manager Hansi Flick confirmed.

The 36-year-old Polish striker, who has netted 40 goals for Barcelona in all competitions this season, had been sidelined for his club’s last four games.

After sustaining the injury during Barca’s 4-3 victory against Celta Vigo on April 19, he missed their Copa del Rey final victory over rivals Real Madrid and the first leg of the Champions League semi against Inter.

– Reuters

Champions League schedule

Semifinals

First leg:

PSG 1, Arsenal 0
Barcelona 3, Inter Milan 3

Second leg:

Inter Milan vs. Barcelona, 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 6
PSG vs. Arsenal, 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 7

When is the Champions League final?

May 31 in Munich, Germany

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Here we are, strolling down the road of accountability, and as fate would have it, hypocrisy comes slithering by. 

Michigan and Sherrone Moore. Florida and Santa Ono. 

I know this is going to shock you (that’s sarcasm), but they’re all connected in a little thing called win at all cost. 

Follow along and connect the sordid dots, everyone. A microcosm of the chaotic, unlawful state of college football.

Ready? Let’s do this. 

First up, we have Moore, Michigan’s second-year coach who is on the verge of serving his second suspension from the NCAA for cheating — this time, for his role in the Connor Stalions advanced scouting scheme during the 2023 season.

You remember 2023? Michigan’s national championship season, the Wolverines forging their way through an unbeaten season of big wins and … NCAA violations. 

Cheating, to be specific. 

Caught and exposed in the middle of the 2023 season, mere weeks after Michigan – with the NCAA sheriff bearing down – self-imposed a three-game suspension of coach Jim Harbaugh and a one-game suspension of Moore (Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator) for rules violations during the pandemic season of 2020.

I swear I’m not making this up. 

But instead of taking the high road in 2023 and realizing the enormity of a second NCAA investigation of the football program in less than four years, Michigan doubled down.

Hot team, championship run. Nothing is stopping this train.

This is where Ono, Michigan’s dynamic, sports-friendly president, enters the chat. Instead of suspending Harbaugh for the remainder of the season after Stalions’ scheme was uncovered, Ono led the university – I can’t believe I’m writing this – in an unprecedented public fight with the NCAA and Big Ten.

A fight so blatantly obnoxious, the Big Ten couldn’t back down — for fear of a mutiny among its members. A fight so ludicrous in its lack of merit, new Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti (not even a year on the job) had to do what Michigan wouldn’t do and what the NCAA takes forever to do. 

He suspended Harbaugh for three games, two of which were critical November rivalries against Penn State and Ohio State. But Michigan kept winning (under Moore as the interim coach), and eventually rolled to a national championship — because, of course, two-time defending national champion Georgia somehow fell out of the College Football Playoff poll after losing by three points in a championship game (but that’s another story for another time).

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After the season, Harbaugh left for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, and days later, Ono hired Moore – a then two-time NCAA cheater – to lead the storied program that holds itself higher than all others because We’re Michigan, And You’re Not.

Now the bill is coming due, and Michigan has decided to avoid fighting this time around — because, you know, no national title on the line. Now the university will self-impose a two-game suspension on Moore for his part in Stalions’ scheme. 

And by part, I mean reportedly deleting 52 text messages between he and Stalions the day the scheme was exposed. On that alone, Moore shouldn’t have been hired by Ono. 

But this is the same president who saw the overwhelming evidence in the Stalions scheme, and didn’t suspend Harbaugh. Who knew that the megalomaniacal Harbaugh would never let anything infect his program without his knowledge, and backed him, anyway.

Who knew that in 2020, Harbaugh was on a Big Ten coaches conference call and accused Ohio State of illegal contact when the league had shut down football operations. The very allegation the NCAA later slapped on Michigan, and then proved — despite Harbaugh refusing to cooperate with NCAA investigators.

Those allegations led Michigan to self-impose the first three-game suspension of Harbaugh in 2023 (he was suspended for a total of six games), and Moore and another assistant coach for one game. Knowing all of this, Ono decided to later hire Moore as head coach of holier than thou Michigan.

A year later, the school is self-imposing a two-game suspension on Moore for part in the Stalions scheme. 

Now you may be wondering where Florida fits in with all of this Michigan madness. Well, we’re just getting started. 

So after Ono’s unique handling of Harbaugh and Moore, and of the 2023 championship season, he moved out of the spotlight of sorts when Michigan’s football team did, too, in 2024. But just last weekend, the search committee for a new president at Florida came up with one — and only one — finalist for the job.

Santa Ono. 

The same Florida that hasn’t won a conference championship in football since 2008, and hasn’t played in the BCS national championship game or the CFP since that 2008 national championship season. Sound familiar, diehard Michigan fans?

The same Florida that has gone all-in with embattled coach Billy Napier, whose struggles on the field have overshadowed a significant issue off it: Napier is named in a multimillion dollar breach of contract NIL lawsuit by former signee Jaden Rashada.

Attorneys for Napier and two others named in the suit asked last summer that the suit be thrown out, and the presiding judge denied the motion and said the case would continue ― possibly into this fall. The very time when Florida, if quarterback DJ Lagway remains healthy, could be making a surprising run for the College Football Playoff.

It’s not that difficult to connect the irony dots here.

If Ono can navigate the NCAA and Big Ten, and steer the Big Blue ship home to its first national title since 1997, surely he can help the Gators return to the elite for the first time in 17 years. Or at least lead them from nearly two lost decades of football.

And by lead, I mean win at all cost. 

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Spots Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist and all-time leader in World Cup wins in Alpine skiing is now part of the ownership group for the NWSL’s expansion team in Denver. The team, still to be named, begins play next season.

‘I’m beyond thrilled to join the ownership group of Denver NWSL and support something so meaningful in the community I call home,” Shiffrin, who is from Vail, Colorado, said in a statement. “The sport culture in Colorado is rich and deep, and — most notably — the growth of women’s sports is one of the most exciting movements in our culture today.’

The Denver team is primarily owned by Rob Cohen. It has already announced plans for its own stadium, the second built specifically for a women’s team after the Kansas City Current’s CPKC Stadium. The team is also building a training facility in suburban Centennial, where it will play games until the permanent stadium is done.

Shiffrin is the latest high-profile athlete to invest in an NWSL team. Tennis players Naomi Osaka and Ons Jabeur are part-owners in the Carolina Courage, while Kevin Durant, Eli Manning and Sue Bird are investors in Gotham FC.

The Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback will sport jersey No. 12, the team announced Tuesday.

The number, of course, was famously worn by future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady, who served as a mentor to Sanders. The New England Patriots retired Brady’s jersey number when he was enshrined into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2024.

In Cleveland, the jersey number was open for the taking. Former Browns players who’ve donned No. 12 include quarterbacks Vinny Testaverde, Colt McCoy, Jeff Driskel and wide receiver Josh Gordon.

Browns rookie third-round pick quarterback Dillon Gabriel will wear No. 5.

Sanders fell to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. His fall became the story of this year’s draft. USA TODAY Sports explored why Sanders dropped to a day-three pick.

The Colorado product is set to compete with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Gabriel for the Browns starting quarterback job. Deshaun Watson, who started seven games behind center last year, is expected to miss the entire 2025 season due to an Achilles injury.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s remarkable rise to the top of the NBA standings helped define the past two regular seasons, and the way in which the franchise returned to prominence in recent years was formally acknowledged Tuesday.

But the Thunder have been even better this season. They had the NBA’s best record (68-14) and set a league record for scoring differential. Presti and Oklahoma City added free agent center Isaiah Hartenstein season and traded former top-10 pick Josh Giddey for defensive ace Alex Caruso last offseason to better support MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and homegrown draft picks like Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace.

The organization is also still armed with at least seven first-round picks over the next three years thanks to Presti’s creative deal-making over the years.

This award for Presti was revealed, coincidentally, about 12 hours after the Thunder fell victim to a late shot by Aaron Gordon in a Game 1 loss to start their NBA playoffs series against the Denver Nuggets Monday. Though the Thunder suddenly face a 1-0 series deficit and an uphill battle in the Western Conference semifinals, they’re still the favorite win the 2025 NBA championship.

Presti, who was named Thunder general manager in 2007, received the most first-place votes (10) in executive of the year voting and appeared on 22 of the 30 overall ballots to finish with the most points (74). Each candidate received five points for a first-place vote, three points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote. The voting panel consisted of one executive from each NBA team.

Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman was the runner-up in voting with six first-place votes and 52 points overall. Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon also got six first-place votes and finished in third place overall.

The 2025 NBA playoffs continue with an Eastern Conference semifinals showdown between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks. The Celtics’ fate hangs in the balance as they await the status of their key player, Kristaps Porzingis, whose potential absence could significantly alter the series.

Porzingis played for 13 minutes in the 108-105 overtime loss to the Knicks in Game 1, recording four rebounds and one assist. However, his absence at the start of the second half was noticeable, and his return to the locker room without rejoining the game has raised concerns about his availability for Game 2.

Porzingis status remains uncertain for Game 2 on Wednesday, as he is currently listed as questionable due to an illness, which has been disclosed as not being COVID-related.

NBA injury report: Kristaps Porzingis for Game 2

Porzingis is listed as doubtful for Game 2 against the New York Knicks on Tuesday. Porzingis is considered a game-time decision after exciting Game 1.

Who will replace Kristaps Porzingis in starting lineup?

In Game 1 against the New York Knicks, veteran Al Horford came in to replace Porzingis in the second half.

Chaos has enveloped the NBA playoffs, striking the top seeds in stunning fashion.

The second-seeded Houston Rockets were eliminated in the first round, the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers lost Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Indiana Pacers, and the second-seeded Boston Celtics lost Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the New York Knicks.

Late Monday, the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets, behind a massive offensive performance from All-Star center Nikola Jokic, defeated the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder 121-119 in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series.

The Nuggets finished the game on a 19-6 run, capped by Aaron Gordon’s game-winning 3-pointer with 3.6 seconds left.

Game 2 is Wednesday in Oklahoma City (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT).

Nuggets vs. Thunder, Game 2

Here are winners and losers from Game 1:

Nuggets vs. Thunder Game 1 winners

Nikola Jokic

The Nuggets’ three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who is again a finalist for the award, had 42 points, 22 rebounds and six assists. He scored 18 points in the fourth quarter and was 15-for-29 from the field and 10-for-13 on free throws.

It was the fifth time he has scored at least 40 points in a playoff game and the first time he has had a 40-20 playoff game.

If he plays like that for the entire series, and he has proven he can, the Nuggets, who won the title two seasons ago, have a shot at returning to the conference finals.

Denver’s balanced scoring attack

Jamal Murray had 21 points, six rebounds and six assists, Gordon generated 22 points and 14 rebounds, Christian Braun delivered 11 points and 13 rebounds and Russell Westbrook had 18 points.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

MVPs aren’t decided in the playoffs. Votes were due before the playoffs began. However, Oklahoma City guard Shai-Gilgeous Alexnder once again showed why he’s a finalist for the award. He had 33 points (12-for-26 shooting), 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Aaron Gordon game-winners

Gordon had a game-winning dunk at the buzzer in Denver’s Game 4 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers and then added a game-winning 3 in Game 1 against Oklahoma City.

Alex Caruso

Caruso, the Thunder reserve, had 20 points, six assists, five steals and two blocks, and Oklahoma City outscored Denver by 13 points in Caruso’s 26 minutes on the court. He was 7-for-12 from the field, including 5-for-9 on 3-pointers. There’s a reason the Thunder acquired Caruso in the offseason from Chicago for Josh Giddey, and the Thunder signed him to a four-year, $81 million extension in December.

Nuggets vs. Thunder Game 1 losers

Oklahoma City’s fouling and clock management

With the Thunder leading 117-114 late in the fourth quarter, they played the foul game in an attempt to prevent Denver from tying the score with a 3-pointer.

The Thunder fouled Jokic with 12.9 seconds left and Gordon with 10.7 seconds left. They made all four free throws, and with Oklahoma City ahead 119-118, Thunder big man Chet Holmgren missed two free throws with 9.5 seconds remaining, setting up Gordon’s game-winner.

Ultimately, the decision extended the game and allowed Denver to stay within a possession of taking the lead. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault defended the strategy, saying it’s worked for Oklahoma City previously.

3-point shooting

Early in the second quarter, Denver and Oklahoma City were a combined 3-for-23 on 3-pointers, and Denver ended up 2-for-15 on 3s in the first half. Both teams found more success from that range in the second half but were still a combined 25-for-75 on 3s.

Rest

Having swept Memphis and not played since April 25, the Thunder faced the rest vs. rust question. Well, the Thunder showed rust especially down the stretch of a game in which they led by 11 points with 4:31 left.

Denver’s minutes

Two days after playing in a Game 7, four Nuggets players logged at least 39 minutes, including a game-high 44 minutes by Murray and 42 minutes by Jokic.

We will see how the minutes weigh on Denver throughout the series, but to win this game showed the Nuggets are more than ready for the challenge.

Kalen DeBoer’s mission is to keep Alabama football ‘front and center.’ Is he the right guy for the job? Jury’s out after bumpy debut, but DeBoer’s track record shows history of a Year 2 takeoff.
Ty Simpson is frontrunner to be Alabama’s starting quarterback. The Crimson Tide need more efficiency, consistency after turnovers played a role in Alabama missing College Football Playoff.
Nick Saban’s retirement sparked a once-in-a-generation transition. Any coaching change takes a toll on a roster. Kalen DeBoer sees improvement at several positions ahead of Year 2.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Kalen DeBoer perks up.

We’re nearly a half-hour into an interview inside the Alabama coach’s office. He’s politely and harmoniously answered each question, but this topic engages his interest more than any that came before.

What’s a position group where he sees improvement?

DeBoer’s answer spills out without hesitation.

“The defensive backfield as a whole,” DeBoer says, “is the one that’s just completely different than what it was a year ago.

Alabama’s secondary, populated with returning starters, is much more seasoned than the group DeBoer inherited from Nick Saban.

He’s upbeat about Alabama’s receivers, too. Miami transfer Isaiah Horton joined a group that includes veteran Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams, last year’s freshman sensation.

Fair to say Alabama’s receivers are better than last season?

“Accurate,” DeBoer said.

DeBoer expects an offensive line that returned three starters “to take another step” after inconsistencies last season.

A lot of theories could predict improvement in DeBoer’s second season. Alabama endured a once-in-a-generation type of transition following Saban’s retirement. Now, it enjoys more roster and coaching staff continuity. DeBoer’s tasted the SEC. He’s more familiar with his roster, and players are more accustomed to his style. He’s reunited with Ryan Grubb, his longtime right-hand man. Grubb will coordinate Alabama’s offense, just as he did at Washington for DeBoer’s team that finished as the national runner-up two seasons ago.

There’s truth in each narrative, and there’s also this: DeBoer believes Alabama got better at certain key positions, a belief founded in logic.

“There’s a level of confidence that’s exuding from the team,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said, “and there’s a level of confidence that I sense from the coaching staff. I think that’s really healthy.”

Oh, one more thing: DeBoer’s teams improved – sometimes significantly – from Year 1 to Year 2 at each of his previous three coaching stops.

Why shouldn’t that happen here, too?

On that point, we must consider Alabama’s quarterback situation.

Will Ty Simpson be Alabama’s starting quarterback?

Magnificent though Saban’s career was, he didn’t leave Alabama’s cupboard fully stocked at certain positions. Standout safety Caleb Downs and wide receiver Isaiah Bond transferring after Saban retired exacerbated the situation. DeBoer enjoyed more perimeter weapons on offense in his second season at Washington than his first season at Alabama. 

But, Saban gifted DeBoer a prized quarterback in returning starter Jalen Milroe, a dual-threat dynamo.

Michael Penix Jr. blossomed playing for DeBoer, so Milroe would do the same, right? Wrong.

Context should be noted. Milroe played for a third offensive coordinator in as many seasons, his top two receivers were program newcomers, and Alabama infrequently established a sufficient run game to support him. The brass tacks, though, are that Milroe regressed with DeBoer and piled up turnovers.

Now, Alabama pivots to a quarterback with no starting experience. Former backup Ty Simpson is the front-runner to start. Grubb said as much in April. DeBoer describes the competition as ongoing.

“We are not where we need to be (at quarterback),” DeBoer said, adding that he seeks consistency and leadership from whomever wins the job.

Simpson threw a total of 50 passes in his first three seasons at Alabama. That’s enough to make him the veteran of a competition that includes five-star freshman Keelon Russell and Austin Mack, a former Washington backup who followed DeBoer to Tuscaloosa. Mack has never played against an FBS opponent.

Simpson “can get the ball where it needs to be,” DeBoer said. That description would apply to some of Saban’s early quarterbacks, and that type of quarterback might suffice again if Alabama’s offensive line, wide receivers and run game improve.

Alabama’s offense looked best last season when Milroe kept the ball. Although Simpson “would surprise you with his quickness,” he wouldn’t threaten Milroe in a footrace.

The key to offensive growth, then, hinges on efficiency and reducing mistakes. Instilling more discipline must be on DeBoer’s checklist, too. Who can forget Malachi Moore’s full-fledged meltdown in the closing seconds of Alabama’s stunning loss to Vanderbilt?

The discipline erosion predated Saban’s retirement. Alabama became one of the nation’s most penalized teams throughout Saban’s final five seasons. The Tide leaned on star quarterbacks and disruptive pass rushers to paper over cracks.

The quarterback play slipped last season. So did the pass rush. The cracks showed.

“Bill Walsh used to say, ‘Champions are champions before they’re champions,’” DeBoer said. “When we talk about being champions, to me, the championships are results of doing things that champions do.”

Champions don’t commit 15 penalties, like Alabama did in a loss at Tennessee.

Alabama totaled 10 turnovers in its four losses. A dissection of why Alabama missed the College Football Playoff for just the third time 11 years must begin there.

“Take the disappointment,” DeBoer said, “but understand we need to respond to that a certain way to make sure we get the outcomes we want.”

Kalen DeBoer expects Alabama to ‘be front and center’

DeBoer’s nine wins exceeded Saban’s first-year Alabama total and the total Kirby Smart posted in his Georgia debut. DeBoer matched Urban Meyer’s Year 1 win total at Florida. Saban, Meyer and Smart are the SEC’s three best coaches in the past 25 years.

That’s not to say DeBoer will reach their realm. Each of the other coaches stepped into different circumstances. It’s only to say it’s premature to panic about DeBoer’s 9-4 debut that ranked as Alabama’s worst offering since Saban’s 7-6 start in Tuscaloosa in 2007.

DeBoer wouldn’t serve you a shoe-leather steak and tell you it’s a tender filet, and he won’t try to spin last season into something it wasn’t, either. Alabama failed to meet expectations.

“This is a program that expects to be front and center,” DeBoer said. “That’s what I expect.”

DeBoer’s debut made it easy to see what you wanted to see.

Believers saw a bumpy start that was not altogether surprising considering a transition of this magnitude and a roster in transition. DeBoer beat rivals Auburn and LSU.

Skeptics saw a coach beset by the job’s scale, a South Dakota-born interloper within a rugged conference he’d never experienced, a coach who lost to Vanderbilt and listliss Oklahoma, whose luck expired after his string of one-possession victories at Washington.

The boring middle ground? DeBoer will fare better reunited with Grubb and with another year of familiarity with this roster and his Southern digs.

Kalen DeBoer retains staunch support from his boss

Coaching Alabama as Saban’s heir means coaching from inside a fishbowl.

Everything DeBoer does becomes subject to scrutiny – and everything means everything.

After Alabama lost to Vanderbilt for the first time since 1984, fans fumed about the result and even critiqued DeBoer’s wardrobe. He wore a T-shirt on game day. Oh, no!

Multiple fans referenced DeBoer’s fashion choice on his radio call-in show, and a local newspaper columnist fanned the flames of the pseudo-controversy.

Welcome to the SEC. Welcome to Alabama, where every play call is critiqued, every quote dissected, and every thread of a coach’s fashion evaluated.

“You know that everything is going to be analyzed – literally everything – but, again, that’s what you signed up for,” DeBoer said, “and I’m good with that.”

DeBoer presents a portrait of composure. If he found himself in a house on fire, I imagine he’d calmly exit the front door, wondering if it was maybe getting just a touch warm inside.

Byrne sensed this while researching potential hires.

“I probably watched any video I could of Kalen DeBoer on YouTube, and there was a steadiness about him that was very apparent,” Byrne said, “but also, at times, he could get fired up about things, too, which I think is healthy. That has carried over to here.”

Byrne’s impressive hiring track record includes Dan Mullen at Mississippi State (a home run), Rich Rodriguez at Arizona (a solid double) and Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats (another home run). It’s still early in the count on DeBoer.

Unrelenting pressure becomes a steady companion to an Alabama coach, but DeBoer enjoys some runway to prove himself and steadfast support from Byrne and Alabama’s administration.

“I’m a huge believer in stability in your coaching staffs,” Byrne said, “and I’m very excited about what’s ahead for Alabama football in the future.”

That qualifies as an unflinching endorsement.

As for an unflinching endorsement from DeBoer, remember Alabama’s defensive backs? He really likes them.

“They have a desire to be elite,” DeBoer said. “I’m excited about that position group.”

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com. Follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

Six days after an electrifying 3-3 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal, Inter Milan hosts Barcelona at the San Siro to decide which team will advance to the final of the world’s most prestigious club tournament.

Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni likened Tuesday’s showdown to a ‘Game 7 of the NBA finals’.

‘It’s 50-50, all open, and I think it will be a similar game from the first leg,’ Bastoni told reporters Monday. ‘We are sure that our fans will give us a big hand at the San Siro, we live for moments like this.’

The winner of the match will advance to the May 31’s final in Munich against the winner of the Arsenal vs. Paris Saint-Germain semifinal.

Barcelona vs. Inter Milan watch live

Tuesday’s match will air on CBS and can be streamed via Paramount+.

Inter Milan goal! Acerbi scores to force extra time vs. Barcelona

Just when it looked like Barcelona had secured their place in the final with a go-ahead goal in 87th minute, defender Francesco Acerbi found the back of the net in the 93rd minute to make it 6-6 on aggregate and force the semifinal to extra time.

Raphina goal! Barcelona leads in final minutes

In the 87th minute, Barcelona’s Raphina got his own rebound and fired a rocket to beat Yann Sommer at his far post, completing the comeback by giving the Spanish giants a 6-5 aggregate lead.

Inter Milan led 2-0 in the first leg (3-3 draw) and 2-0 on Tuesday. coughing up three Barcelona goals in the second half to cough up the advantage they needed to just hold for 45 minutes.

Champions League extra time rules

Barcelona and Inter Milan are tied 5-5 on aggregate in the 80th minute, and if things stay all square after 90 minutes, the match goes into 30 minutes of extra-time with two 15-minute halves.

If the match is still tied after 120 minutes, a penalty shootout will decide which team advances to the Champions League final.

Dani Olmo goal! Inter Milan 5, Barcelona 5 on aggregate

This thrilling Champions League semifinal is all tied up again, with Barcelona’s Dani Olmo scoring a header in the 60th minute, erasing Inter Milan’s two-goal lead in just seven minutes. Olmo got on the end of an absolutely perfect cross from Gerard Martín, who had assisted on Barcelona’s first goal.

Eric Garcia goal! Barcelona cuts Milan lead to 5-4

Barcelona defender Eric Garcia was an unlikely goalscorer in the 54th minute, smashing home a volley to cut Inter Milan’s two-goal advantage in half. Minutes later, Inter Milan goalkeeper Yann Sommer made a stunning save on a Barcelona counterattack, denying Garcia a second goal with on an opportunity the right back should have converted.

Hakan Çalhanoglu goal! Inter Milan leads 5-3 on aggregate

After VAR awarded a penalty to Inter Milan right before halftime, Hakan Çalhanoglu stepped up and sent Barcelona goalkeeper the wrong way Wojciech Szczęsny with a perfect spot kick – giving the Italians a two-goal advantage to hold for the last 45 minutes.

Lautaro Martínez goal! Inter Milan up 1-0 (4-3 on aggregate)

With a nice assist from Denzel Dumfries, Inter’s Lautaro Martínez scored the game’s opening goal in the 21st minute.

Champions League semifinal underway in Milan

Entering the second leg tied 3-3 on aggregate, Barcelona and Inter Milan have gotten started at the San Siro, with 90 minutes (plus extra time) separating one of the teams from the 2025 Champions League final.

Barcelona lineup today vs. Inter Milan: Starting 11

Barcelona: Szczęsny; Martin, Iñigo, Cubarsí, Eric; Pedri, De Jong, Olmo; Raphinha, Ferran, Lamine.

Inter Milan lineup vs. Barcelona tonight: Starting 11

Inter Milan: Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Çalhanoğlu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; L. Martínez, Thuram

Inter Milan vs. Barcelona first leg highlights

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona: El Clasico coming up

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti promised his team will put up a good fight against LaLiga leaders Barcelona at the ‘El Clasico’ next Sunday, as the defending champions look to reduce a four-point gap with their arch-rivals.

Defending champions Real secured a 3-2 win over Celta Vigo on Sunday to keep their title dream alive going into the last four matches in the campaign. Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 15 league games, and beat Real 3-2 after extra time to win the Copa del Rey last weekend.

‘We’re going to prepare well, we’re going to put up a good fight,’ Ancelotti said in a post-match press conference. ‘It’s not going to be decisive but it’s almost there.’

– Reuters

Lamine Yamal causes headaches for Inter Milan

Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni called on his team to pull out all the stops in their bid to contain Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. The prodigious 17-year-old Yamal wowed the crowd at Montjuic with a sublime goal and a bold performance, helping Barcelona twice fight back to secure a gripping 3-3 draw in the first leg.

Bastoni, the 25-year-old centre back, who faced Yamal during last year’s European Championship where Spain beat Italy 1-0, expressed admiration for the teenager’s rapid progression.

‘I had already faced him with Spain and he was not yet at this level,’ Bastoni told a press conference on Monday. ‘I was impressed by the level he reached, for his age and ability to create incredible things on the pitch, I think he is among the best in the world right now. We’ll have to double, maybe triple (mark) him like we did at times in the first leg, but without exaggerating, otherwise we would create too many spaces. Barcelona is not just Yamal.’

– Reuters

Robert Lewandowski injury update: Barca on bench vs. Inter Milan

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has been declared fit to return from a hamstring injury but is set to start on the bench in their Champions League semi-final second leg at Inter Milan on Tuesday, manager Hansi Flick confirmed.

The 36-year-old Polish striker, who has netted 40 goals for Barcelona in all competitions this season, had been sidelined for his club’s last four games.

After sustaining the injury during Barca’s 4-3 victory against Celta Vigo on April 19, he missed their Copa del Rey final victory over rivals Real Madrid and the first leg of the Champions League semi against Inter.

– Reuters

Champions League schedule

Semifinals

First leg:

PSG 1, Arsenal 0
Barcelona 3, Inter Milan 3

Second leg:

Inter Milan vs. Barcelona, 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 6
PSG vs. Arsenal, 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 7

When is the Champions League final?

May 31 in Munich, Germany

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