In the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, Acerbi scored the equalizer in stoppage time, Inter Milan beat Barcelona 4-3 at home in extra time, and advanced with a total score of 7-6 in two rounds.

Acerbi did not make his top league debut until he was 23 years old. After his father died, he fell into a very dark period and almost gave up football. He faced serious alcohol problems and lost the motivation to move forward. Suddenly he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, and it was at that time that everything changed. "I used to disrespect myself and my work. It sounds a bit contradictory, but cancer saved me. It gave me a new goal to fight for, a limit to cross."

He defeated cancer not once, but twice. Since then, he has had a long and successful career in domestic football, winning the championship with Lazio, sweeping all domestic competitions with Inter Milan, and winning the European Cup with the Italian national team. One might think that at 37, he would not have many more magical nights to experience, but fate had other plans.

He had not scored this season, nor had he scored in European competitions, until today, when Inter Milan was on the verge of elimination from the Champions League, and he stepped up in the 93rd minute to score the winning goal against Flick's Barcelona! He dragged the game into extra time, and his teammates did the rest to seal their ticket to the Munich final.

This is the reward for a man who never gives up. If he never gave up in the most difficult moments of his life, today he obviously gave his all until the last moment. Acerbi's inspirational story is impossible not to be moved.