Despite going down to two goals in the first 21 minutes of the game, FC Barcelona were still able to salvage a 3-3 draw against Inter Milan in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final tie played at the Montjuic.
As the scoreline suggests, this game was full of thrills and suspense, and the two teams will once again have everything to play for in the second leg on Tuesday at San Siro.
Jules Kounde set to miss three weeks of action
However, one blow that the Catalans received in this first leg was the injury suffered by Jules Kounde. The Frenchman had to leave the pitch in the first half as he went to the ground without any notable contact with an opposition player.
Tests were carried out on the defender yesterday, which showed that he is suffering from a distal tear in the biceps femoris of his left leg and is expected to miss the upcoming three weeks of action with this physical problem.
Kounde’s First words after injury
There is no doubt that this is a significant blow, both for Barcelona and the player himself. Kounde was particularly distressed at suffering this injury at such a critical point of the season, and, as Mundo Deportivo has reported, expressed this feeling in a social media post.
In this first public interaction since his injury, the Frenchman wrote:
“So disappointed to pick up an injury at this moment of the season, when everything is on the line… but sometimes there’s only so much you can control. Full trust that this team will get the job done no matter who’s on the pitch. Thank you all for your support, it means a lot.”
The €60 million-rated French defender would definitely have wanted to help his team in this crucial stretch of the season. But he is now set to miss two key games, i.e., the second leg against Inter Milan and the upcoming league El Clásico. Hopefully, he will return in time to play the remaining games of the season after that.
