Ten-man Inter Milan lost 1-0 at Barcelona on Wednesday but still reached its first Champions League final in 38 years by beating the defending champion 3-2 on aggregate.
The Italian champion braved continuous pressure from the slick-passing Catalans to line up a final against Bayern Munich on May 22 in Madrid after winning the first leg 3-1.
Defender Gerard Pique scored in the 84th minute after Inter had mostly frustrated Barcelona's attack.
Inter was reduced to 10 men from the 28th minute when Thiago Motta picked up a second yellow card after tangling with Sergio Busquets.
But Inter held on in front of a crowd of nearly 100,000 at the Camp Nou to give itself a chance of a third title - and first since 1965.
"It's an incredible joy. The players left blood out there and the fans were marvelous," Inter coach Jose Mourinho said. "It's the greatest loss of my life. This team deserved to draw 0-0. It was an extraordinary game.
"It's tough with 11 players against Barcelona - with 10 it's a historic feat."
Inter striker Samuel Eto'o, who will play in his third Champions League final after winning the trophy with Barcelona in 2006 and 2009, said: "We knew we would suffer in this marvelous stadium, but we did what we had to do tonight.
"We knew that if we defended well, we had our chances."
Barcelona took the lead on the night just moments after substitute Bojan Krkic headed a clear chance wide. Pique received the ball inside the area before twisting past a defender and goalkeeper Julio Cesar and then drilling his shot on the turn into an empty net.
Barcelona star Lionel Messi was given little room to roam, but the Argentina winger had a chance in the closing stages after having delivered a perfect cross for Krkic in the 82nd minute.
Krkic found the back of the net in injury time but his strike was ruled out for a handball by Yaya Toure in the buildup.
Mourinho, who will return to the final for the first time since his Porto side lifted the trophy in 2004, sprinted onto the field with the rest of his squad to celebrate at the final whistle.
Just after Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes tangled with Mourinho as he pointed up to the Inter section of fans, the water sprinklers at the end of the pitch where Inter players celebrated were turned on.
Inter managed just one shot in the contest but still halted Barcelona's incredible run under coach Pep Guardiola. Barcelona won a record six trophies under Guardiola but now has only the league trophy to play for.
Inter, meanwhile, is closing in on a historic treble as it leads the Serie A standings and has reached the Italian Cup final.
Tensions ran high after Mourinho had stoked the rivalry before the game by stating Barcelona was "obsessed" with playing the final at bitter rival Madrid's home stadium.
Guardiola elected to start an attacking formation in front of a three-man defense where Gabriel Milito filled in for suspended center back Carles Puyol.
It meant that two brothers squared off as Diego Milito led Inter's attack alongside Eto'o and Wesley Sneijder, who had recovered from a thigh muscle injury.
Christian Chivu replaced Goran Pandev after the Inter midfielder aggravated a muscle problem during the warmup.
As expected, three-time champion Barcelona controlled possession while patiently pressing forward with the aim of finding a gap in Inter's tight defense, which closed down the middle of the pitch. That left the home side to surge forward mostly along the flanks.
Pedro Rodriguez, who notched Barcelona's only goal in Milan, met a cross from Daniel Alves inside the area in the 23rd minute but could only send a good opportunity wide.
Minutes later, Motta received a second booking for a slap to Busquets' face.
"We suffered a lot to reach this final, we didn't have many chances after we lost Thiago Motta," Maicon said. "But after that it was a question of desire."
And grit, as Inter effectively dug in for the remainder of the game with Barcelona unable to exploit the extra space as Messi's runs were largely cut off before they reached the area. He had the Spanish champion's best chance of the first half in the 32nd minute but Cesar stretched to his right to tip the curling shot wide.
Barcelona continued to pressure in the second half, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic saw his 54th-minute penalty appeal waived away after tangling with Lucio inside the box. Referee Frank de Bleeckere waived away another call in the 60th after Esteban Cambiasso pushed into the back of Pedro as he leapt for Alves's cross.
Ibrahimovic made way for Krkic in the 63rd, but it was Messi who led the final charge before Pique's goal as the diminutive playmaker tumbled inside the area in the 75th and then failed to get a foot on a pass at the near post.
Bayern secured its place in the final after beating French club Lyon 3-0 on Tuesday and 4-0 on aggregate.
