Simone Inzaghi always believed that Inter Milan would reach Champions League final
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Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez scores the 1-0 goal in Milan, Italy, on May 16, 2023.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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MILAN – Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi said he never doubted that his team could reach the Champions League final, as they completed a resounding 3-0 aggregate victory over rivals AC Milan on Tuesday.
A month ago, he faced criticism and was under pressure after a lacklustre run of results, yet his side have turned it around and their 1-0 semi-final, second-leg win over Milan was their eighth in a row in all competitions.
“It was a dream at the start, but we always believed, we had an extraordinary run and to win the semi-final in a derby this way is immensely satisfying. We can only praise the lads,” said the Italian, whose team scored via Lautaro Martinez.
Inter are third in Serie A and will face Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia final on May 24.
Their return to form has been built on a solid defence, keeping six clean sheets in their current winning streak and conceding only three goals.
“I had said a long while back we would put in a crazy effort without looking at one competition or the other, just trying to achieve our best,” Inzaghi added, basking in the glory of his team’s fourth successive win over their city rivals.
Milan had not suffered four defeats in a single campaign against Inter since the 1973-74 season.
“We played four derbies since January and won all four, we know Milan are the (outgoing) champions of Italy and have huge quality, but the players were excellent and deserve to enjoy this evening,” he said.
Before their two semi-final victories, Inter beat Milan 3-0 to lift the Italian Supercup in January and grabbed a 1-0 win in Serie A the following month.
When asked whether he would prefer in the final to face Manchester City or Real Madrid, who played the second leg of their last-four tie on Wednesday, Inzaghi kept his cards close to his chest.
“It’s normal that when you go to face City or Real, you start as underdogs, but football is always open,’‘ he said.
“We met Real Madrid last year and we lost two games, but playing well. Manchester City needs no introduction – we will watch and whoever arrives will arrive.”
The Champions League final will be played at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul on June 10. Inzaghi also said that Serie A was now the primary focus for his players, who face champions Napoli on Sunday.
“I gave the players a day off tomorrow, it was deserved. We’ll meet again from Thursday because we have to prepare for a league match in Naples,” he said.
Milan coach Stefano Pioli admitted that his side, who are fifth in Serie A and five points behind Inter, will have to move on quickly.
“It’s clear that we dreamt of the final and wanted to beat our rivals,” he said. “Not succeeding causes us disappointment but we’ll have to focus on the league. The real disappointment would be not playing in the Champions League next year.” REUTERS, AFP
