Wesley – The Magic Touch

José Mourinho was never an elite athlete, but in many ways, his career can be summed up in five or six famous sprints. He sprinted down the touchline at Old Trafford after knocking out Manchester United with Porto; he ran at Camp Nou with Chelsea, following a victory over Barcelona; in Siena with Inter, after a goal from Maicon; and then in Barcelona again, where he had clearly developed a taste for it, after guiding Inter to the Champions League final. But that famous sprint had a much longer run-up, one that began months earlier in Ukraine, on a cold November night in Kyiv.

At that match, Mourinho raced towards one of his players, threw his arms around him and celebrated as though he had just won a final. And yet it was only the fourth game of the Champions League group stage.

But was it ‘only’ a group stage match? To understand the whole story, we need to go back to 4 November 2009…

José Mourinho is sprinting across the pitch at Kyiv's Valeriy Lobanovskyi Stadium. He's looking for someone to embrace, and he finds Júlio César. Wesley Sneijder has just put Inter 2-1 ahead against Dynamo, with only seconds remaining. For once, the Portuguese coach abandons his trademark composure.

It's 4 November 2009. Inter are dominating Italian football, but struggling in the Champions League. Three draws from their opening three games have left them bottom of the group, and a trip to Ukraine threatens to make their European campaign even more complicated. Mourinho's squad has undergone a major overhaul during the summer. Ibrahimović has left, and it feels like the end of the world. Eto'o, Milito, Sneijder, Lucio and Thiago Motta have arrived. But something is still missing if Inter are to become a force in Europe.

Then, 21 minutes into the game in Kyiv, Dynamo take the lead. It's Andriy Shevchenko's 15th goal against Inter, and thankfully his last. And it feels like the cruellest of blows. The former Rossoneri Ballon d'Or winner, back in his homeland for the final chapter of his career, is threatening to knock Inter out of the Champions League with two group games still to play. Inter are struggling, and Mourinho decides to change everything. There's nothing left to defend. To borrow a term from Texas Hold'em (a variant of poker which was extremely popular at the time), Inter go all-in.

Balotelli and Thiago Motta replace Chivu and Cambiasso at half-time. Then comes the final substitution, with Samuel making way for Muntari. Inter are throwing more and more players forward, desperately searching for an equaliser. There's practically nobody left at the back. Only Lucio remains to stop Dynamo's attacks. The minutes tick by, but the hosts withstand the pressure. In the 88th minute, Sneijder finds Milito, who controls the ball and beats Bogush. 1-1. But a draw isn't enough. Not yet.

Three minutes later, Balotelli backheels the ball to Muntari, who shoots, but the goalkeeper saves. Milito tries to pounce, only for Bogush to deny him again. The ball is still in play, and Sneijder instantly realises there's only one chance: he has to get to it before Bogush. The goalkeeper is closer, but he's off balance. Wes makes his move. All he needs is one touch, but he has to reach the ball before the goalkeeper's hands to avoid committing a foul. He gets there by a fraction of a second. 1-2. Deep into stoppage time, Inter are ahead. Mourinho sprints away to embrace his goalkeeper.

The next day marks the centenary of the birth of Angelo Moratti, president of the Grande Inter. For Massimo Moratti, the victory carries special meaning: "It was a gift from my team."

That victory will change everything. Having stared elimination in the face and seemingly accepted their fate, Inter find the spark they need. Game by game, they begin to believe that the impossible might just be possible. First comes qualification for the round of 16, followed by victories over Chelsea, CSKA Moscow and Barcelona. Then comes the final showdown in Madrid against Bayern Munich – and pure ecstasy.

But on 4 November 2009, all of that still seemed a world away. With two minutes left on the clock, it felt impossible. Then Inter decided to believe.