Alessandro Bastoni acknowledges Inter gained ‘maturity’ and self-belief after their run to the Champions League Final, which was on show against RB Salzburg.
For the third time in as many seasons under Simone Inzaghi, the Nerazzurri have swept through to at least the Round of 16.
They secured qualification with two games to spare thanks to this evening’s 1-0 win away to RB Salzburg, which was sealed by a late Lautaro Martinez penalty.
“We are happy because Salzburg are a good team, we knew their potential and did well to hold out against their physicality,” Bastoni told Sky Sport Italia.
“In the first half, they made us run hard, but this was another step in our progress as a team, the fact we had the patience and resilience to wait until we could strike in the second half.”
Some of that maturity has been achieved also thanks to last season, when the Nerazzurri reached the Champions League Final and only narrowly lost to Manchester City.
“That Final in Istanbul certainly left its mark. We realised that if we remain united, we can have our say against any opponent. Those of us who are veterans here also managed to teach the new arrivals what it means to play for Inter. We are mature and we want to do well.”
Securing qualification so early can be a huge boost for their Serie A campaign in a packed fixture list.
“After the break for international duty we’ve got Benfica, Juventus and Napoli, all away from home. This qualification will give us some sense of security, but it’s not enough, because we want first place.”
Both Inter and Real Sociedad have booked qualification and are locked together on 10 points, so it could all be decided with their head-to-head at San Siro on December 12.
Lautaro Martinez had snatched a late equaliser for the 1-1 result in Spain on September 20.