Last-minute blow: Inter Milan fall again in the 93rd minute

After the derby loss, Inter Milan create chances but crumble at the death against Atlético Madrid, leaving Chivu frustrated and shaken

Another defeat for Inter Milan. As in the derby, against Atlético Madrid Inter Milan created plenty but eventually conceded in the 93rd minute. The Inter Milan coach Chivu did not digest a defeat that arrived right at the end.

“He unloaded the tension for half an hour after the final whistle, taking some time for himself: ‘I smoked three cigarettes in a row,’ Cristian Chivu said, who, after Gimenez's fatal 2–1, turned his back to the pitch and sat on the bench—disheartened and shocked. 

For him it was a real blow to lose in the 93rd minute a match played well, on par or even better than Atlético, not so much for the Champions League standings as for the team’s self-esteem. 

The fifth defeat of the season, the first in Europe and the second straight after the derby, inevitably affects the overall evaluation of Inter Milan, who are certainly not living a happy moment,” Gazzetta dello Sport via Fcinter1908 analyzes.

Substitutes fail to change the match in Madrid

“But there’s more in his reflections. Prompted live on Sky by Fabio Capello, who coached him at Roma, Chivu admitted that in fact ‘those who came on should have done better.’ No specific accusations, of course. But it’s undeniable that the substitutions didn’t refresh the team when they were close to earning their first draw in 17 matches.

Bonny’s substitution—after he had often unsettled Simeone’s defense and provided the assist for Zielinski—seemed hard to understand. ‘I wanted to exploit the freshness of Thuram and Pio; in attack I have many solutions,’ the coach explained, noting that he had to remove Zielinski due to injury (a muscle problem to be evaluated for Pisa). But nothing went right in the final minutes.

A Message to Pio Esposito

Sucic disappointed, and Frattesi and Luis Henrique failed in the few minutes they had to trigger the counterattacks Chivu wanted after the 1–1 equalizer. “We conceded a goal from a corner despite having all the tallest jumpers in the box, but the real mistake was allowing the corner in the first place. 

We shouldn’t have lost the ball while playing out.” The intended recipient of that message is Pio Esposito, who misplaced a simple pass to Frattesi in midfield, gifting Atlético the decisive opportunity.

“In essence, Chivu expected an Inter Milan less elegant and more ruthless. It’s not the first time his team falls asleep without warning during the toughest phases of the match. 

The first goal, by Alvarez, looks like a copy-paste of Pulisic's goal in the derby, with the ball stolen off Calhanoglu’s feet. 

Sunday’s match against Pisa is a crossroads with no alternatives: winning is mandatory to stay attached to the title race and, above all, to avoid the word ‘crisis’ being linked to Inter Milan’s trajectory,” Gazzetta concludes.