Milan (Italy), Nov 7 (IANS): Barcelona are assured of a berth in the Champions League knockout stage after drawing 1-1 with Inter Milan.

With 10 points from 4 matches, Barça lead Group B by 3 points over Inter, who in turn have an advantage of 3 points on Tottenham Hotspur, reports Efe news.

Barça superstar Lionel Messi, still recovering from an injury, watched from the stands at the San Siro - where the Catalan club last won in 1959 - as his teammates dominated possession and took the lead only to concede an equalizer with three minutes left.

Even without Messi, Barcelona kept the hosts corralled in their own end for most of the night and it took a heroic performance by Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic to prevent a rout on Tuesday night.

The score was 0-0 in the 81st minute when Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde replaced Ousmane Dembele on the front line with Malcom and the young Brazilian needed just two minutes to break the deadlock, converting a pass from countryman Philippe Coutinho.

Barça's joy turned out to be short-lived, as Inter's Mauro Icardi won the race to a dead ball in the area and beat keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to bring the hosts level.