Inter Milan battled for more than an hour with 10 men to book its place in next month's Champions League final at the expense of holder Barcelona on a triumphant night for the Italian side's coach Jose Mourinho. The Spanish holder won the semifinal second leg 1-0 but Inter went through 3-2 on aggregate after a pulsating encounter at Barca's Nou Camp stadium to reach its first final of Europe's elite club competition since 1972. It will play Bayern Munich in the final at Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium on May 22. Mourinho, a former assistant coach at Barca, raced onto the pitch at the final whistle, his wild eyes fixed on the small section of triumphant Inter fans as he pointed a celebratory finger to the sky. He clashed with Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes as a hail of objects rained down from the stands before he returned to the embrace of his ecstatic players. “It's an incredible joy, I've won the Champions League (with Porto in 2004) but I must say today was better than winning the Champions League,” Mourinho told Rai TV. After losing last week's semifinal first leg in Milan 3-1, Barca coach Pep Guardiola fielded an ultra-attacking formation and with the home fans roaring their support the visitors' defense came under immediate pressure. For all its early possession Barca was struggling to create chances and a Pedro volley in the 22nd minute that flashed narrowly wide was its first real effort on goal. Tempers boiled over five minutes later when Inter midfielder Thiago Motta flung out an arm in a challenge with Sergio Busquets which sent the Barca player tumbling to the turf clutching his face. Former Barca player Motta, who had already been booked, was sent off, sparking a melee in which he grabbed Busquets by the back of the neck before being led away. The dismissal was the cue for a magnificent rearguard action from Inter who dealt with almost everything the fearsome Barca attack could throw at them. Champions League top scorer Lionel Messi curled a shot that Julio Cesar acrobatically tipped around the post before a thunderous Zlatan Ibrahimovic free-kick flashed just wide. As the clock ticked down in the second half, substitute Bojan Krkic missed a sitter of a header but a minute later center back Gerard Pique, moved by coach Guardiola to a last-ditch striking role, made amends with a superbly taken goal in the 84th minute that gave Barca hope. The Spain international controlled the ball in the penalty and showed a striker's touch to spin away from Cesar and the Inter defenders and slot into an empty net. With the noise levels rising ever higher, Barca pressed for the goal that would send them through and had an effort from Krkic at the death disallowed when Yaya Toure was adjudged to have handled the ball in the build-up. “We defended very well, very compact, and we fought on every meter,” Inter midfielder Wesley Sneijder, who moved to Inter from Real Madrid before the start of this season, said in a television interview. “We gave everything, that's what we said to each other before the game, and we did it and now we go to Madrid. Bayern set for cashfall Bayern Munich is set to make at least 58 million euros (76.7 million US dollars) for reaching this season's Champions League final as they bid to win the domestic treble. Bayern will receive at least 25.4 million euros (33.6m US dollars) from European football's govening body UEFA. That figure includes 5.2m euros (6.88m US dollars) for reaching the final. Louis van Gaal-coached Munich will also receive at least 20 million euros for its share of the television rights as around 9.42 million Germans watched Tuesday's game. Bayern's bosses have said each player will make a bonus of a month and a half's salary if it wins the Champions League final.
