Simone Inzaghi hailed Inter Milan’s performance in a narrow 1-0 UEFA Champions League win at Sparta Prague as ‘outstanding.’
During his post-match interview with Sky Sport via FCInterNews, Inzaghi insisted the Nerazzurri never took Lars Friis’ side for granted.
Lautaro Martinez bailed the Nerazzurri out in Prague with another match-winning goal.
Indeed, El Toro turned Alessandro Bastoni’s assist home early in the first half to seal Inter’s crucial league-phase victory.
However, the job isn’t done yet, with the reigning Scudetto holders needing a point against Monaco next week.
But now’s the time to enjoy another European success, even though Inter suffered at the Epet Arena.
Denzel Dumfries’ second-half goal could’ve removed all doubts.
Unfortunately, after a VAR check, referee Alejandro Hernandez disallowed the Dutchman’s strike for an offside in the build-up.
Simone Inzaghi Heaps Praise on Inter Milan Performance vs Sparta Prague
“This result comes from outstanding performances,” Inzaghi said after the match. “We still need one more point, but our fate is in our hands.
“This journey wasn’t a given. We’ve achieved it through seven matches played the right way.
“Now, we just need to take the final step. I’m happy with the performance – we stayed focused on what was a challenging match.
“I’ve congratulated the players, and I’m delighted for our fans, who travel every two and a half days to support us.”
Inter could’ve closed the game earlier. However, they often lacked the final touch.
-That didn’t bother Inzaghi.
“Let’s say we had closed it,” he claimed.
“I rewatched Dimarco’s offside – it was by a heel. We created chances, and after Lauti’s goal, we thought the game was in our hands.
“In the second half, we raised the tempo and should have scored a second goal because we created many opportunities.”
The Scudetto-winning boss stressed the significance of staying focused throughout 90 minutes.
“We needed determination and focus. They’re a physical team, and we handled set-pieces well.
“We took very few risks, and when we did, Sommer was excellent.”
Once again, Inzaghi defended the under-fire Kristjan Asllani.
Asked whether there’s too much criticism of the Albanian midfielder, he replied: “I agree. Asllani is doing great work, but he has Calhanoglu ahead of him in his position.
“He’s always ready and working hard, even if he occasionally struggles in a match – it’s normal.
“He never gives up and always puts in maximum effort. Without the yellow card tonight, I would have kept him on for the full 90 minutes because he was sharp and focused.
“He knows he has my trust and the club’s trust. We have high hopes for him.”
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