Special One won over Italian Press

Capital gains: Madrid papers Marca and AS celebrate Barca's demise

Corriere dello Sport hail 'Heroic Inter'

Wall of glory: Gazzetta dello Sport

One more post, because he is so special! :)

Italy's media hailed Inter Milan's heroics after they eliminated holders Barcelona to reach the Champions League final.

The Nerazzurri lost 1-0 at the Nou Camp yesterday but progressed to the final of Europe's most prestigious club competition for the first time in 38 years, with a 3-2 aggregate triumph over the defending champions.

Milan-based Gazzetta dello Sport highlighted 10-man Inter's impressive defending as Barca dominated possession after Thiago Motta was sent off in the first half.

'Inter wall of glory: resists being down to 10 for 63 minutes,' read its headline.

Pep Guardiola's Barca enjoyed 75 per cent of possession while Inter were forced to play in their own half for most of the encounter.

And the press praised a masterclass in defending.

'There was only one goal,' Gazzetta admitted. 'But Inter's tactics were to cover every possible hole.'

Rome-based daily Corriere dello Sport lauded Inter's fighting spirit as the Nerazzurri made it to next month's final, which will be played at the Bernabeu in Madrid.

'Heroic Inter,' was Corriere's headline. 'They go down to 10, resist without trembling to eliminate a great Barcelona.'

Meanwhile, Turin daily Tuttosport posted a photo of Inter coach Jose Mourinho celebrating with a headline: 'Inter heroic, it's a final.

National newspaper La Repubblica's front page includes a photograph of Mourinho running across the Nou Camp turf with his arms up in the air after the final whistle and its headline: 'Inter destiny, with 10 in the final.'

The newspaper's sports editorial showers the 'Special One' with praise, proclaiming: 'The hero is Jose. Never before was he so special. A phenomenon for (Inter president Massimo) Moratti.'

Too late: Barcelona paper El Mundo Deportivo carry a picture of Gerard Pique's goal

Mourinho, who guided Inter to the scudetto in his first season at the club last summer, is the reason, according to La Repubblica, why Inter remain alive in all competitions.

It read: 'The man who has changed Inter.

'Mourinho gives the club a Champions final after 38 years, with one of the most exceptional defensive displays ever seen at that level.'

In Spain, the press reaction differed between the sports newspapers based in Barcelona and Madrid.

In Barcelona, the tone was much more sympathetic, with Sport's front cover announcing: 'The champions fall like a champion. Barca gave everything, dominated the whole of the game and only lacked one goal.

'We are proud of this team. For the way it plays, its style and its attitude, Barca continue being the reference for good football.'

Inside, the newspaper went on to talk about the 'anti-football' of Inter, saying: 'They passed through those who did not want to play football. The anti-football won. Barca fell into the trap of the ultra-defensive Inter.'

El Mundo Deportivo, another Barcelona-based daily, was slightly more critical, claiming Pep Guardiola's side 'lacked spark'.

It added: 'Only Pique gave a dose of mystique to a cold game, but his goal came very late. The Inter players gave a lesson in defending to put themselves into the final.'