When Mourinho Upset Guardiola's Barca Superstars

When Inter Milan drew Barcelona successful nan semi-finals of nan 2009-10 Champions League, fewer backed nan Italian broadside to advancement against Pep Guardiola's world-beaters.

Both were chasing their ain portion of history. Barcelona were trying to go nan first squad to triumph back-to-back Champions League titles while Inter were seeking a first European Cup last since 1972 and a first title since 1965.

It was a necktie tinged pinch bitterness, pinch Inter leader Jose Mourinho going up against Guardiola, who worked together astatine Barca but were now rivals.

It was a necktie that defined Mourinho arsenic a coach and yet saw him lead Inter to nan Treble - nan first Italian broadside to execute specified a feat - arsenic they wrapped up nan Serie A title, nan Coppa Italia and nan Champions League.

And connected 28 April 2010, he and Inter took a mighty leap towards that historical achievement.

Fifteen years connected from nan captivating 2nd limb successful Barcelona and pinch nan 2 preparing to look each different successful different Champions League semi-final, BBC Sport takes a look astatine nan communicative of that fascinating tie.

Tension had been brewing agelong earlier nan players group ft connected nan pitch.

In nan summertime of 2008, Barcelona were looking for a caller manager, having sacked 2006 Champions League victor Frank Rijkaard.

The prime was Mourinho aliases Guardiola, who had worked intimately pinch nan Portuguese during nan 1990s erstwhile he was Sir Bobby Robson's adjunct and nan Spain midfielder was Barca's captain.

It was a position Mourinho had acquired having first started retired arsenic an expert for Robson astatine Sporting, earlier evolving into an adjunct coach. He followed Robson to Porto past Barca.

But while successful Catalonia, nan Portuguese was disgruntled pinch his treatment.

He was nicknamed 'the translator' and felt he was not taken seriously.

When it came to Barca appointing a caller coach a decade later, Mourinho - who by past boasted Champions League and Premier League titles connected his CV - was shunned successful favour of Guardiola, who had conscionable vanished his first twelvemonth successful guidance pinch Barca's reserves.

It was a determination that did not beryllium good pinch Mourinho and had a profound effect connected nan measurement he would spell connected to group up his teams, sacrificing beautiful shot - for illustration Guardiola's tiki-taka - successful favour of ratio a coagulated defence.

Barca's determination instigated a managerial rivalry betwixt Mourinho and Guardiola that came to a caput successful 2010 successful nan necktie and was later ramped up while nan erstwhile was astatine Real Madrid.

Mourinho's 'the translator' nickname returned successful mocking tribute successful nan build-up to nan first limb astatine San Siro.

The emotion was that Mourinho did not guidelines a chance against a Guardiola squad astatine nan tallness of its power, having won nan Treble nan erstwhile season.

Already rife pinch play and a gripping narrative, nan first limb was played nether a unreality of ash pursuing nan eruption of nan Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull.

It meant Barca could not alert to Italy and alternatively had to return a 10-hour autobus journey.

Whether that had immoderate base connected nan lucifer is intolerable to know. But it surely gave an already intriguing necktie an aerial of theatre.

"When you get to nan knockouts against a squad for illustration Barcelona, you person to triumph your lucifer astatine home," said Mourinho successful a caller BBC Sport documentary - How to Win nan Champions League: Jose Mourinho.

That is of people easier said than done pinch Guardiola's illustrious squad including Lionel Messi, Xavi, Sergio Busquets and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who Barca had acquired from Inter successful a switch woody that play pinch striker Samuel Eto'o.

"Before nan first leg, Mourinho told maine 'you're going to play left-back and you will people Messi'," recalls erstwhile Inter defender Javier Zanetti successful nan documentary.

"I knew Messi from nan Argentina squad and he was nan champion subordinate successful nan world. I followed Messi astir and successful each area he went into, 2 of my team-mates came to unit him to contradict him abstraction to make a difference."

Mourinho's strategies worked and Inter bounced backmost from an early Pedro extremity arsenic Wesley Sneijder levelled earlier nan break past Maicon and Diego Milito assured a 3-1 triumph astatine a rocking San Siro.

"It could person been more. A awesome performance," said Mourinho.

So to nan 2nd leg.

With a two-goal advantage to protect, Inter needed to nutrient a protect masterclass to forestall Guardiola's men, backed by their expectant supporters, overturning nan deficit.

The players emerged from nan Nou Camp passageway to beryllium greeted by a banner printed simply pinch nan connection 'remuntada' - comeback successful Catalan.

"I deliberation that put nan unit connected them [Barcelona] because everyone believed they could do it," said Zanetti.

Mourinho's style of play is synonymous pinch a coagulated defence, and it was thing he relied connected that nighttime successful Spain. That and a number of top, knowledgeable players.

"At Inter, my chair was afloat of apical players astatine nan extremity of their careers. [Ivan] Cordoba, [Francesco] Toldo, [Marco] Materazzi, [Dejan] Stankovic. They were not my first choices, but they were my large allies," Mourinho said.

He recalled a reside made earlier nan lucifer by defender Cordoba successful nan dressing room.

"He was saying 'this is my dream, this is my past opportunity. I americium not playing because of him [Mourinho]. He decided to put maine connected nan chair and decided to play you. So you are going to play for me'," Mourinho said.

"When you person this benignant of personification connected nan chair and successful nan dressing room, your activity becomes overmuch much easy. I knew that they would do thing for maine and I would person done thing for them."

Inter's task became overmuch harder successful nan 28th infinitesimal erstwhile midfielder Thiago Motta was sent disconnected for catching Busquets successful nan look arsenic he raised a manus erstwhile defending nan ball.

Busquets rolled astir connected nan crushed pinch his hands clutching his face, stopping momentarily to move his hands successful a 'peekaboo' motion to guarantee nan referee had produced a reddish card.

The Brazilian's guidance pursuing nan dismissal, man-handling Busquets successful protest, only fanned nan flames of a high-octane encounter.

"We went location pinch a strategy to effort to control, to effort and wound successful counter-attack," said Mourinho.

"After 20 minutes aliases truthful Motta is sent off. People are sometimes acrophobic to speak astir it, I americium ne'er acrophobic to speak astir it - nan referee's decisions are ever crucial."

Down to 10 men and pinch a 90,000-strong crowd consenting their opponents on, Inter sat heavy and flooded their protect areas while nan hosts' passing crippled was typically superb but grounded to find nan gaps.

"During half-time he [Mourinho] was still convinced we would scope nan final. His assurance was contagious," said Zanetti.

And, having already dubbed himself The Special One, Mourinho felt assured he had his strategies spot on.

"To play pinch 10 players against Barcelona, it becomes epic. You request heroes. You request to person nan champion retired of everybody," said Mourinho.

"I deliberation I was superb successful nan measurement I organised nan team. We defended pinch everything we had. We defended pinch hearts, pinch souls. We gave perfectly everything."

High-pressure strategies and gamesmanship continually disappointment Barcelona arsenic almost nan full 2nd half was played successful Inter's protect third. But Guardiola's squad of superstars probed without success.

That was until, pinch six minutes of normal clip remaining, Barcelona collapsed nan Italians' backline for virtually nan first clip arsenic Gerard Pique collected Xavi's pass, turned wrong Cordoba's situation and slid home.

Barca's tails were up and truthful was nan crowd. One much and they would level nan necktie and advancement to nan last acknowledgment to their distant extremity successful Milan.

Bojan Krkic thought he had secured triumph aft he collapsed free successful nan Inter container and lashed into nan tile of nan nett successful wounded time.

But nan Nou Camp's joyousness was short-lived arsenic nan referee gave handball against Yaya Toure successful nan build-up and nan lucifer vanished 1-0, pinch Inter progressing to nan last to look Bayern Munich.

The full-time whistle had hardly sounded earlier Mourinho sprinted onto nan pitch, 1 limb successful nan air, to observe pinch his players.

Barcelona chose that infinitesimal to put nan sprinklers on.

An effort to annoy nan Inter players and extremity them from celebrating connected nan pitch? Perhaps. For Inter, it did not matter.

"It was nan astir beautiful conclusion of my career," said Mourinho.

"The truth that we played pinch 10 men for truthful long, makes it perfectly incredible. If I could take 1 of my astir affectional performances, successful a profession of much than 20 years, I would take that one."