Inter coach Simone Inzaghi spoke of his pride for the performance his players gave, saying he wants to get back to the Champions League final. The Nerazzurri were considered massive underdogs against Manchester City but showed they were more than equal to the Premier League side. Speaking with Sky Sport Italia after the match, Inzaghi expressed regret at the wasted chances that could have seen the match go another way, but insisted he is proud of his players for the work they put in:
The night of dreams has become the night of regrets, but also of awareness.
“Absolutely. I congratulated the boys, they were great. It’s a difficult time, we lost a final that we wanted at all costs but we have to be proud. I said yesterday that I would never change my players with anyone and today the whole world understood why. We were strong as a whole against a very strong team to whom we conceded little. So many regrets but you have to be proud, I thank the fans who have been wonderful allowing us to get this far.”
The fans in the Duomo are celebrating anyway.
“Inter put on a serious, organized game. There is great regret, I saw the players dejected, but that’s football. It’s the fifth final in 20 months, we have to be proud.”
How come you missed so many crosses?
“In the first half we did not suffer so much but at the level of play we could have done better. In the second half in our best moment we created a lot, the finishing was lacking however in the last twenty minutes there was the crossbar, Gosens’ header, the rebound on Lukaku where you wonder why it didn’t go in. I would have liked to have played the extra time.”
Did you do more than your chances in the Champions League, or can we expect the same performance next year?
“We saw it on the pitch, City is a great team. The run in the Champions League was outstanding but we want to get back to the final and we have the chances to get back there. We have to develop, play as we have in the last three months and have all the players available.”
Is there anything you are proud of yourself for?
“The work with my staff and my boys. They were perfect, they would have deserved more but this is football; five finals in 20 months is very important to make us grow further.”
