Henrikh Mkhitaryan hails ‘one of our best performances of the season’ to beat Benfica 2-0 in Lisbon, but warns Inter ‘this is only the first step’ in the Champions League quarter-final.
The Nerazzurri picked up a sensational 2-0 result in Lisbon, inflicting the first Champions League defeat of the season on a Benfica side who had topped the group ahead of PSG and Juventus, flattening Club Brugge in the Round of 16.
Nicolò Barella had never scored with a header in his entire Inter career, but broke that drought at the Estadio da Luz on an Alessandro Bastoni cross, then Romelu Lukaku converted a penalty for Joao Mario’s handling offence.
The away goals rule no longer counts, but it is still a huge advantage to take with them to San Siro for the second leg on April 19.
“It is one of our best performances this season, I think we deserved to win, but it is only the first step and we need to play again next week. We will do everything we can to get into the semi-final,” Mkhitaryan told Sky Sport Italia.
“We have to think about Monza first and only then Benfica. We know Benfica are a very good side, but we are ready to play our game, win and go forward.
“It’s not every day you play a Champions League quarter-final and have a night like this, we should build on it and remember this is only the first step.
“We doubled up all over the field, we played hard in every area and tried to cover all the spaces.”
Mkhitaryan was asked why Inter play so well in the big games and cannot replicate that in Serie A?
“We ask ourselves that question.”