Inzaghi: "Great game, Tuesday will be a Final, the winner plays another"

Inzaghi praises Inter Milan's organized performance and highlights the importance of the return leg after a thrilling 3-3 draw with Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final.

A night full of goals and spectacle at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona: the words of the Nerazzurri coach after Barcelona-Inter Milan, the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final.

It wasn’t just any night in Barcelona but a night of spectacle in which Inter Milan put on an organized performance, played with great quality and equally great determination. 

Thuram’s goal and Dumfries’ brace were the Nerazzurri’s contributions to the 3–3 draw in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, a match that marked Simone Inzaghi’s 50th appearance as Inter Milan’s manager in Europe’s top competition—making him the 7th Italian coach to reach this milestone. 

Inzaghi reflects on Key Players and Key moments: "Tuesday is a Final"

His words after the game at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys:

“There’s a lot of satisfaction because we played a great match. Of course, there's also some regret about the double lead and the disallowed goal, which I don’t understand, but we are aware we played a great game against the best team in the world. 

The offside? These episodes can make the difference, but anyway, these guys were fantastic. We showed a lot of quality and heart. Barcelona is known for their attacking power; they’ve scored 150 goals this season, and they have so much quality, but we played a very organized game. 

We tried to adjust a few things, and on the other side was Yamal, a player I haven’t seen in years. Doubling up on him wasn’t enough, and as time went on, they got tired, and we showed great quality. 

Lautaro? He had a small problem; he had played eight consecutive games. I didn’t have Thuram, and we were playing a lot of important matches. 

Tonight I also have to compliment Taremi, who came on very well. Our captain had to raise the white flag, and I hope we don’t lose him for the return leg, but I have some doubts. We had drawn 3–3 here three years ago as well. 

The players felt the embrace after Sunday’s match, and they put in a fantastic performance. 

Tuesday will be a final; the winner will play another, the loser will go home. 

Thuram and Dumfries are two very important players who we’ve missed. Thuram trained yesterday after 15 days off, and I don’t think he had shot on goal before his goal. He played a great match, and Dumfries too. 

They’re all important players who, with many high-level matches like this season, we’ve missed.”

Source: inter.it