Barcelona vs. Inter Milan Hyped as Instant Classic By Fans After UCL Semifinal Leg 1

Barcelona and Inter Milan played to a thrilling 3-3 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal on Wednesday at the Barcelona Olympic Stadium.

The excitement started early and didn't let up. In addition to the six combined goals, there were numerous close calls that would've provided even more twists. This was every bit an instant classic:

Few will have expected Inter to lead 2-0 by the 21st minute.

Barça hardly had a touch of the ball before Marcus Thuram back-heeled it into the net with only 30 seconds gone. Denzel Dumfries doubled Inter's lead with an acrobatic finish off a corner kick:

Considering Inter Milan had conceded seven goals across its entire Champions League campaign, the reigning Serie A winner was firmly in the driver's seat looking ahead to the second leg.

Then 17-year-old phenom Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres struck back for Barcelona to level the match at two goals apiece in the first half. Yamal's tally resulted from a superb piece of individual flair:

The drama wasn't over. Dumfries got his second goal in the 64th minute and Barça almost immediately responded with a rocket from Raphinha that was credited as an own goal. His powerful shot from distance hit the crossbar and went in off the back of Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer:

A fourth goal for Inter was ruled out for offside by the slimmest of margins.

In the waning moments, Yamal hit the crossbar with a chip.

From start to finish, the first leg had everything. World football fans can only hope to get this much entertainment in the return fixture, which gets underway May 6 at San Siro.

If the old away goals rule had been in place, Inter would have a clear advantage with the semifinal shifting to Milan. Knowing a draw would be enough to advance, manager Simone Inzaghi could lean on the defensive approach that has served the club so well.

Instead, all bets are off next week with nothing to separate the sides.