Everything could have ended differently. In the thrilling first leg of the Champions League semi-final between Barcelona and Inter (3–3), Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan was at the center of one of the key moments — scoring what seemed to be the winning fourth goal for the Milan side, only for it to be disallowed due to an offside… by just three inches.
Nevertheless, the captain of the Armenian national team remains realistic and focused on the upcoming second leg, which will take place at the legendary San Siro:
"It was a very tough match. We tried to do everything we could. Maybe we could have done better in some aspects, but we’re satisfied with the result. We were ahead twice and could have held on to the lead, but that’s football. We were playing against a very strong team that controls the ball well and creates many chances. We hope we can win the second leg and go through."
Asked about the strategy for the return leg, Henrikh responded with his characteristic pragmatism and confidence:
"We have to perform well by doing what we know. We know how strong they are, but they also have weaknesses — maybe not many, but we have to take advantage of them. We’ll prepare well and try to play great again. We’re hoping for a positive result."
The second leg will take place next Tuesday, May 6, and now Inter — with Mkhitaryan in the squad — will try to capitalize on what they couldn’t achieve in Barcelona.
"Maybe I’ll look back on this moment for the rest of my life," Mkhitaryan admitted to Sky Sport. "Because at that point in the game, we could have had the advantage. I was offside by three inches…"