Hakan Calhanoglu insists Inter were well aware ‘it would not be easy’ against RB Salzburg, which makes their 2-1 victory an even more important result.
Alexis Sanchez had opened the scoring with an angled drive on the Henrikh Mkhitaryan assist, which was cancelled out by Oscar Gloukh.
When Davide Frattesi was brought down in a sandwich between Salzburg defenders, Lautaro Martinez left the penalty to Calhanoglu, who drilled low into the near bottom corner.
It was a tougher game than expected, but a crucial victory, as it puts Inter four points clear of RB Salzburg in third place.
“We knew that it would not be easy, as they are a young team who run hard and have enthusiasm. We had already faced them in a summer friendly and knew how they played,” Calhanoglu told Sky Sport Italia.
“The important thing was the victory. We are currently top, now we have two away fixtures in a row and those will be tough. That makes it a really good result.
“We must always play with the right mentality and intelligence. It is not easy playing every three days, but we played well and deserved the points.”
Inter are also back on top of the Serie A table, having recaptured the leadership from city rivals Milan.
There will be a difficult game coming up domestically this weekend, as Romelu Lukaku and Roma travel to San Siro.
The Belgian is going to be greeted by 50,000 whistles that are handed out by the Inter ultras to make sure he is jeered in deafening fashion at every touch.
“I do not want to comment. Everyone is free to make their choices, we must concentrate only on our own work. We are top of the table and want to stay there.”